


Home is wherever I'm with you

by magicalcrapulent



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Domestic Dennifer, Fluff and Smut, Human Jennifer Blake, Multi, Non-Evil Jennifer Blake, Post-Episode: s03e06 Motel California, Wolf!Derek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2017-12-25 10:49:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalcrapulent/pseuds/magicalcrapulent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We could just go away. We could just start the car and drive, and we only stop when we found the place where we want to stay, to live in.”<br/>"You would do that? For me?"<br/>"I love you Derek. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Saving Grace

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is the first dennifer story here on AO3.  
> I'm a huge Dennifer shipper, and because I think that there are still too little works that are solely Dennifer and don't have a Sterek component/endgame I just told myself 'Hey, why not?'. I'm a little unsure about the smutty part, but it stole its way in anyway.  
> I got this idea after I read queenitsy's story 'Never Enough', but you don't have to read that if you don't want to.  
> Now Please enjoy!

Derek didn't know when or how it happened. He never knew or even heard of someone that had this happened to him or her. It was extremely rare nowadays, just like the ability to shape-shift. Maybe it happened to his mother and she had never told about it, or he had never asked her, never really had the chance to. It didn't matter anyways.

Maybe it had happened the first time he had seen her, back then in the boiler room, when she had hid behind one of those shelves, frightened to death. He hadn't been able to say a single word that moment. He had seen her, and immediately something had grown inside him, something he couldn't grasp, couldn't name, something he couldn't even really make out back then. He only knew that it had been there. Had she felt the same? Had she felt that something changed inside her when she had taken his hand? Or has the fear overlapped anything else she might have felt that moment? Had she felt it afterwards?

He didn't know, but whatever this was that had settled inside him had drawn him towards her again the other day. He didn't know why he had felt the urge to check on her back then. He had blamed it on him getting soft (not that his other behavior has done him any good in the past). When she had stood in front of him, startled and trying to defend herself with a wooden pointer, it had stirred something inside him. After a very long time he had been able to smile, to feel amused and, to be honest, even happy. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time. She had fascinated him, her wit, her awkwardness, her cockiness, her fear, her courage, so when she had asked for his name he had told her, had trusted her. And when she had given hers in return he couldn't stop the smile that had stretched over his face. Jennifer. It suited her.

After that she has always been on his mind. When he went to sleep, or when he had a few precious seconds to himself between nearly getting slashed to death or getting stabbed through the chest with an iron pipe his mind had wandered towards her face, the feeling of her hand in his when she took it the other day, her smile when he told her that she would be okay, the sound of her voice when she rambled on about her therapist, and her expression when she noticed that she had said too much. Sometimes he felt like a creeper, especially when he seriously thought about getting to the school and watching her through the window while she taught her class only to see her face again. He didn't dare approach Peter about it. Although this man knew more than he let on Derek wasn't sure if this new feeling had something to do with the supernatural, and he didn't want to risk embarrassing himself in front of his psychotic uncle.

And then he had died on that escalator. Well, not really, but at one point he had wished he was dead, like in the moment where his spine had put itself together in his back and all the pain that has been blocked out until that point had reached his brain. There has been many things going on in his head while he lay there, too weak to move, but too strong to die. He had thought about Cora, about Boyd, and how both of them had been in danger because of him, again, how Kali had nearly ripped his sister's throat out in front of him. He thought about the choice the Alphas had given him, of either killing his Beta or watching his sister dying. He still didn't know what he would have chosen. He thought about Erica, and how cold and limp she had lay in his arms when he had found her in that bank, how dead she had been. He thought about Isaac, Scott and even Allison Argent, wondered if they had been able to get away, wondered if everyone was safe, if they were injured.

And he had thought about her. About Jennifer. He had thought about her face, her smile. He only knew her for maybe ten minutes, but he wondered if he was ever able to see her again, to properly get to know her. What kind of food did she like? What was her favorite color? Did she has a pet? What was her favorite song, what her favorite film? What did she like to do in her free-time? Why did she become a teacher?

The process of putting his bones back together was the most painful part, but his other wounds were a totally different matter. They were bleeding, aching, burning, it felt as if they were ripping him in pieces, not to forget the fever he had felt raving havoc inside his body when he gained consciousness. He didn't know where he was going after he stood up. His instincts had told him to go, to get away from that place, and he had simply walked, no particular place or direction in mind. Maybe it had been this same instincts that had pulled him towards her car, he didn't know. He only remembered how she had leaned over him while he was lying on the ground, how worried and scared she had looked. It didn't suit her. Her smile was better.

He had only been able to press out a “No hospital” before he had lost consciousness again. He had felt hot, burning even, and his dreams had been plagued with distant memories. An old root cellar, blood, death, tears, the faint smell of a woman's perfume lingering in the air, fire, fire and more fire. When he had woken up he had been confused. He didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there. He had rested on a soft bed in an open and comfortable bedroom, his shirt cut off, his wounds cleaned and a wet cloth covering his forehead. When he had tried to get up she had come through the door, a bowl of water in hand. Relief had crossed her face when she saw he was awake before she had stepped up to him and had gently pushed him onto the mattress again, a firm and grim expression on her face. She had wet the cloth again before she had sat down beside him. The atmosphere had been awkward, but at the same time there was no place Derek rather wanted to be at that moment.

He had observed her, has seen how exhausted she was, had seen the lines of worry still around her eyes. He had tried to reassure her, has told her that he would heal with time and that she didn't need to worry. He hadn't expected her reaction. With angry eyes she had suddenly stood up. “You tell that I don't have to worry?! You were bleeding to death in the back of my car, and I wasn't able to do anything for you! Someone did this to you, someone tried to kill you! And you tell me that everything's going to be okay?!” She had put her hands through her hair and sat down again, void of all previous energy. Derek hadn't known what to do.

“They won't be after you, you're safe,” he had said for lack of something else to reassure her worries. He didn't like when she was worried. He didn't want something happening to her. He wanted her safe.

“I'm not worried about myself,” she had said and looked up at him, her eyes moist with tears. Derek didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. He wanted her to smile, wanted to hear her laugh, wanted to see her happy. He had reached out and had taken one of her hands in his and had pulled her towards him. Without resistance she had slipped onto the bed right next to him, lying her head onto his uninjured shoulder. He had slipped his arm wound her waist while he had entwined their fingers above the wound of his stomach. He had pushed his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. He immediately relaxed and had rested his cheek on her head. Her sent had followed him in his dreams when he fell asleep again. He hadn't slept to well in a very long time, if ever.

When he woke the second time she was still curled into his side, her slow breath softly tickling his skin. Again he had pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet and intoxicating scent before he began to wiggle his way out of their embrace with as little movement as possible as to not wake her. His wounds were healed and the fever was gone as well, and when he stood up he had searched in his pockets for his phone. Everybody thought he was dead, he had to contact them. At that point he had faltered a little in his search. Did they even care? He knew that he was probably the worst Alpha of all times, and that many things that happened have been his fault. Boyd and Erica had left because of him, and then they were first caught and tortured by hunters and then kidnapped by the Alpha-Pack, Erica was even dead. When he tried to save them he had let them loose on the world, ready to slash the throat of everyone they saw. He couldn't even control his own Betas, let alone protect them. Hell, he hadn't even known his sister was alive until that night. And then he had lead them right into this foolish fight against the Alpha-Pack. Boyd and Cora were nearly killed if Allison hadn't shown up, all because the Alphas wanted him in their pack. Why even? He was useless, too weak to help anyone.

“Where are you going?” he had heard Jennifer saying behind him, her soft voice breaking him out of his thoughts. She had stood at the food of the bed when he turned around, a scared expression on her face.

“I have to let the others know. They probably think I'm dead,” he had replied. But did he? Did he have to tell the others he was alive? Maybe it was better if they thought he was gone for good.

“Are you sure about that? Maybe you could use your 'death' to an advantage.” Jennifer had come closer, fiddling with her hands and biting her lower lip, worry and fear still evident on her face and in her voice.

Derek didn't say anything at that, only looked a her as she came closer, and all of a sudden he had felt dread filling his body. Death. A constant variable in his life. So many people had already died because of him. Paige, his whole family, in the long run even Laura and (he hated to admit it) Kate, all those people Peter killed on his path of vendetta last year because of the fire, Derek even killed Peter himself. He remembered all the people Jackson had killed while he had been turned into the kanima, all because he had bitten him. So many already died because of him. He couldn't bear if she went onto that list, too.

“You shouldn't be here, here with me,” he had said, taking a step away from her. He had to push her away, he had to give her a way to back out of everything she already got herself into, where he had dragged her into.

“Why is that?” While he had made a step back Jennifer had made a step forward, still looking him in the eyes.

“Because you don't know me. You don't know anything about me.” He had to push her away. Why did it hurt so much? Why was it so hard on him to force her away? It was only for her own good. She had to stay alive.

“What if I say I have a feeling about you.” Again she had taken a step towards him. More and more she entered his personal space, and the more she did the harder it got for Derek to think about things to say, to get her to back out of this whole mess that was his life. The closer she got the greater got the urge to just grab her and puller against his body, to wrap his arms around her and never let go. At the end he settled for the truth.

“Everyone around me... Everyone gets hurt,” he had said, and he had to keep his voice from breaking at the end. Another step. Another step towards him, and another step into his burnt up world. Sometimes he wondered if it didn't still stood in flames.

“I've been hurt before,” she had said, and alone the thought of someone hurting her, the pure image of her crying her eyes out made him angry, but he could hardly acknowledge the feeling of anger while she looked up to him from under he long lashes, her eyes glowing with determination and something else he couldn't name.

He shook his head.“Not like this.” She didn't say anything. She had just rested her hands on his chest, leaned up and kissed him.

It was timid, hesitant and shy, and it only lasted a short moment, but this few seconds were enough to blow away all the resolve he had about pushing her away so she could save herself. The urge to grab her and keep her to himself intensified to infinity, and before he could control his body he had already pressed his lips to hers again. They were soft and warm, and a warm tingle spread through his body at the feeling. Slowly he had wrapped his arms around her and had pulled her towards him, relishing in her heat and in the satisfaction that spread through him when she put her arms around his neck. When she had tangled one of her hands in his hair an messaged his scalp he nearly began to groan.

Her smell had swapped his senses as soon as she stepped into his personal space, but now it was burned into his memory, and when she parted her lips for him to slip his tongue into her mouth he thought he was in heaven. When he already thought of her scent as intoxicating, then her taste was addicting. Lazily he had begun to slide his tongue against hers, savoring the feeling and the moment for as long as they lasted. Nothing lasted in his life, but he sincerely hoped this did, her in his arms, flush against him while she sighed in contentment between their kisses.

When he pulled away he opened his eyes to watch her. Her face was flushed, her eyes closed, her lips red and swollen from his ministration and still slightly apart. She already leaned in again, following his lips as if they were two magnets pulling towards each other. With a soft sigh Derek met her halfway, pressing their lips together once again. The warmth that spread through his whole body made him puller Jennifer a little tighter. It felt good. Perfect even. But most of all it felt _right_. Nothing in his life has ever felt so right like this, her in his arms, like it was always meant to be that way.

What started as timid and shy eventually changed into hungry and sloppy. He was hungry for everything she gave him, from the soft whimper when he gently caressed her tongue to the sharp gasps when he began to kiss the space below her ears. She leaned onto him heavily, her arms tightly wrapped around his shoulder while he let his hands roam up and down her back and sides. He wanted to feel her. He wanted to feel her soft skin underneath his fingers, feel the heat of her body on his own skin. He wanted her to make those delicious sounds over and over again, the more the better. They were music to his ears.

He knew it was wrong. He knew that nothing good could possibly come out of this. She would just get hurt, she could die. There was nothing permanent in his life, why should it be any different with her? He should stop right now, now before he wouldn't be able to pull away anymore. But he couldn't. It was as if he was drowning and she was his saving oxygen, the silver lining on the horizon that shone through the darkness of his life. He _needed_ her, he _wanted_ her, and he knew that it was incredibly selfish, but he couldn't help himself.

Eagerly he removed her clothing, and she was a pliant lump underneath his fingers. Like he anticipated her skin was smooth and soft and warm, and he couldn't stop himself from touching and caressing it. He shuddered when she let out sharp gasps and whimpers into his ear, and when his hand reached her full breast he swallowed the moan that escaped her lips. The scent of arousal was heavy in the air, and it took everything in Derek to not just get rid of his jeans and unite with her, but he wanted to worship and lover her properly, just like she deserved it.

Gently he moved them to the bed where their two scents were still mingled together, and when he lay her down on it he joined her and began to kiss the entirety of her body, starting by her face. Her lips, her cheek, her jaw, her ear, her neck. When he sucked on her pulse point she let out another sharp gasp, and Derek growled in approval. He wanted to mark her, show the world that she was his and that no one was allowed to touch her. His instincts told him to bite her, but he suppressed this urge of his inner wolf and simply left a bruise on her neck before he moved further on in his ministrations.

The closer he got to her breasts the more she ached her back, eager for his mouth. Warms flooded Derek's chest. She wanted this just as much as he did. He wanted to give her everything he got, everything she wanted. Softly he began to kiss her chest and nipples, and the soft little moans she gave off made him growl once again. While he caressed her breasts he let his hands wander over the rest of her beautiful body, her flat tummy, her delicious curves, her hips, her thighs. When he slipped one hand between her legs and let his fingers message her swollen neither lips and glide over her clit she ached her back even further and let out a loud moan.

He leaned himself on his other forearm while his hand still caressed her sex and watched her quietly. Her face was flushed and sweat beginning to form on her forehead, her hair lying around her head like a halo. She was biting her lower lip and her whole face was twisted into an expression of pleasure. When she opened her blue-gray eyes they were dark and glazed with lust. While he observed her she reached down and began to open his pants, fumbling with his belt. He stopped his ministration to help her, and quickly his pants and boxers were down on the floor while he slowly settled between her legs.

She reached up and grabbed him at the back of his head and pulled him down for a deep and lingering kiss. Her hips bucked up, trying to create a little friction and relief, and Derek groaned when she brushed his erection. He pulled away and observed her, tried to find any sign for him to stop. Everything he found were her gentle eyes, shining without a single sign of doubt. When she nodded he leaned down again, capturing her lips in a slow kiss, just like the first one they shared just a few minutes ago. And then he pushed inside.

It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, not with any woman he had lain with. When he united with Jennifer it was not simply in body, it felt as if their souls were merging as well. It was a feeling deep inside his stomach that had nothing to do with physical pleasure. It was as if they were pulled towards each other until no one could say where who started and the other ended, and for the first time in his life Derek knew what he had been missing. He had been missing _her_. For the first time in his life he felt completely _whole_. He hadn't noticed before because he didn't known that he was lacking something in the first place, but now everything was so much clearer. It was as if her whole body was pulling him in and bathed him in the pure light of her own soul. He never wanted this feeling to end.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Jennifer rolling up her hips towards his. Slowly he began to rock back and forth while he continued kissing her neck, her shoulders, her ears and her face. Her lips were slightly parted while she began to breath heavily, letting out a low moan or whimper every so often. Her fingers were digging into the staining muscles of his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist when she began to meet his thrusts. When she moaned his name into his ear he began to speed up his pace, unable to control himself any further. It wasn't just lust and pleasure that drove him. It was this urge inside him that had pulled him towards her in the fist place, the feeling he had when he joined with her, the feeling of being _whole_ , the feeling of _rightness_. It wasn't just sex. It was making love, in every sense of the word.

He leaned his forehead against hers while he pushed into her again and again, leaning in there and then to swallow her moans and to renew her delicious taste in his mouth. Too soon Jennifer ached her back before her whole body went tense. He could feel her walls contracting around him and he quickened his pace to ride her through her orgasm. Her fingernails were digging into his shoulders and her legs clenched around his waist, trying to force him in deeper, and before he could control himself he followed her over the edge. His breath was caught in his throat when his orgasm hit him. Again it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He thought his heart was bursting while he was drowning in the light of Jennifer's soul.

When he came to his senses again he was still insider her and his head lay on her chest, her hands running through his hair and caressing his scalp soothingly. He could feel the fast but steady beating of her heart underneath his cheek and closed his eyes again, relishing in the sound and the warmth and comfort of her body and scent. He never wanted that moment to end, and from the look of things neither did she.

They just lay there in each others embrace, and eventually they began to talk. Not about werewolfs, not about the Alpha-Pack, not about the Hale Arson Conspiracy or human sacrifices. They talked about their hobbies, about the books they read, about a film they both watched, what stupidities they did when they have been children, about their favorite color, their favorite food, the pets they had owned in the past or wished they had owned. It was lighthearted and easy, and some when during their conversation he had lain back on his back and she had snuggled up to him, using his chest as a pillow and draping one of her legs over both of his while she entwined her hand with his once again.

Near dawn she had fallen asleep, and Derek had just looked at her, save in his arms. He wished this night would never end, but deep inside he knew that it would, and he already hated that moment with every fiber of his being while he watched the sun rise through her window.


	2. The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is still not my first language, and I only have a program on my computer that recognizes linguistic mistakes and not grammitcal ones, so if you find any I'm sorry.

When Derek woke up the next morning he felt cold and lonely. When he stretched and opened his eyes he noticed that Jennifer was gone. Confused and maybe even a little bit scared he stood up and picked up his boxers and pants from the floor. While he fastened his belt he noticed the smell that hung in the air, the smell of coffee and pancakes, and he smiled.

He navigated his way through her home following his nose and found her at the stove in the kitchen. She stood there with nothing on but a pair of panties and a t-shirt that clung to her delicate frame, her dark locks falling over shoulder in soft waves.

She was beautiful.

He enjoyed the view for a few moments while she turned one of the pancakes over in the pan, humming to a tune only she could hear. Smiling he sneaked up on her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She let out an undignified squeak and flipped around in his arms, pan ready to strike him, but when she saw that he was not some pervert braking into her house she relaxed and let out a heavy breath.

“I thought my heart was going to stop,” she told him before she let the pan down on the stove behind her again. Derek just smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Jennifer practically melted in his arms when their lips met, and with a content sigh she wrapped her arms around his neck, spatula still in hand. His memories of the feeling of her lips was nothing compared to the real thing. He could have kissed her all day, but after a while an unpleasant smell crept into his nose.

“I think something's burning,” he murmured against her lips. With a startled gasp Jennifer swirled around and quickly tried to save the unfortunate pancake, but it was already too late. With an irritated huff she turned towards the garbage to get rid of it.

“Now I burned our food. You happy now?” she asked while she shot him a mocking glare. Smiling Derek stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her once again.

“Yes,” he told her before he kissed her again, and he could feel the smile on her lips. A little reluctantly he pulled away again after a while. “Not that I'm complaining but aren't you supposed to be in school?” he asked, the question nagging in the back of his head since he saw her making breakfast.

“I can't. I'm incredibly and unbelievably sick today,” she told him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, but then her expression darkened. “When do you have to go back?” she asked, not quite able to hide the hint of disappointment in her voice.

A heavy weight settled in Derek's chest at the question. He knew that he couldn't stay with Jennifer forever, as much as he wanted to. He already had a guilty conscience for not calling anyone last night to tell them that he was still alive. If he was a good and responsible Alpha he would grab his phone right now, dial someone's number and tell that person to pick him up.

But he didn't want to. For the moment he felt normal, just like every other guy out there. No death, no hunters, nothing supernatural, no sacrifices. And now he understood why Scott had such a hard time adapting after he got the Bite. Derek didn't knew it any other way. He was born a werewolf, so he didn't even considered a 'normal' life, because it was just never an option. But now he wished it was. Now, with her, he wished that he could be just some ordinary guy. He wished he wouldn't have to weight his decisions on whether someone dies or not, that his decisions wouldn't determine the life and death of his family or pack, that he wouldn't have to fight for survival in every sense of the term.

Deep inside he was tired of it. He was tired of being in charge, of others waiting to follow his decisions. Tired of this endless guild and sadness twisting his guts whenever he dared to think about his family, and of the anger and self-hatred when Kate Argent's face stole it's way into his mind. Tired of to have this strength but still having to watch how the life of his friends, family and pack was constantly in danger, mostly because of his own decision. He was so tired of it all, and he hadn't the slightest desire to get back to it if he was honest.

Jennifer still watched him with a questioningly and dreading look on her face, waiting for his answer. Derek wrapped his arms tighter around her, not wanting to let her go for the moment, if ever. “They are capable to survive without me for a few hours,” he eventually said with a small upturn of his lips. Jennifer's face brightened up with a huge smile, and Derek couldn't stop himself from returning it before he kissed her again.

Yes, the others would have to manage without him for a little while longer.

 

xXx

Everything was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The Alphas wanted him, and now that he killed one of their own he didn't doubt for a second that they wanted him dead, too, but no one was supposed to know that he was still alive. Everyone was supposed to think he was dead, but it seems that fate was having him on it's black list again.

There has been no moment in his life he could think of where Derek had felt as good and lighthearted as in the few hours he had spend with Jennifer. There were no worries, no fear, just warmth and comfort. They had spend the day in her kitchen, her living-room, her bed, watching silly TV-shows or talking about random things, just like the night before. They had held hands, embraced each other, kissed and touched and made love, and Derek had felt as if his heart was going to explode in his chest, because – seriously - he hadn't felt this happy and carefree since he first got to know about hunters when he was a child.

Whenever Jennifer laughed or smiled it was as if the sun was shining through a thick curtain of rainclouds, and her touch was more comforting than his own mother's embraces. He felt like a foolish lovestruck teenager, but deep inside he knew that it was something else, something stronger. Whenever he looked at her he could feel this pull at the pit of his stomach that was driving him towards her, and every time they lay between the sheets it felt like his very fist time over and over again. It was as if her soul was radiating a light, bright and warm like the sun itself, that was engulfing his own and began to repair and heal it from everything that has happened in his life, everything that damaged him, soothing the pain. When he was with her he felt whole again, and he never wanted this feeling to stop. He didn't know what it was, this urge that was nearly impossible to ignore, the urge to be as close to her as possible, but he hoped that it would never go away.

He knew that he would have to go back, that he couldn't stay away from his own pack for much longer, and when he walked back to his loft when it was turning dark, clad in a shirt he stole from a clothesline (much to Jennifer's horror and amusement) everything he wanted to do was turn around and get back to her. But he couldn't. He had a responsibility, and the Alpha-Pack was still out there, searching for him, hunting him, and he didn't doubt that they would somewhen go after his pack to get to him. But there was still this little flame of hope inside him that told him that they couldn't know he was still alive, that they have to think that he was dead, and that they would leave Beacon Hills now that they had no reason to stay any longer.

And again, like so many times in his life, he was wrong.

Instead of leaving town the Alpha-Pack had made it their mission to eliminate his pack, Cora, Isaac, Boyd and even Peter. Instead of an empty loft he found a battlefield, his sister and uncle bloody and nearly slaughtered by Kali, Isaac and Boyd trying to survive against the twins and failing. He had tried to help them, to save them. He stayed 'dead' for a reason, but it seems that, in the end, everything he did was making the situation worse. He tried to fight Kali, to win against her, to kill her, but everything he could do was offering himself to be her new chewing toy. That was everything he was to her, a toy. He didn't stand a chance, and in the end being alive was just an as bad decision as pretending to be dead. He was useless, no matter what he did.

And like always Scott had to come and save their asses. Although Derek never doubted that the boy was something special, even among their kind, he would have never thought that he would be a True Alpha. He, together with Chris and Allison Argent clad with a whole arsenal of werewolf-killing weapons, were able to force the Alphas to retreat, and for the first time in his life Derek was happy to see hunters. Everyone was alive, and relief was an emotion he barely knew anymore.

But then started the questions. 'How did you survive?', 'Where have you been?', 'Why didn't you call?', 'What the hell did you do the whole time?!'. And Derek kept silent, because, whatever he said, it wouldn't be enough of a good reason for them. And he knew that they very well knew what he had been doing. He knew that, if they stopped their ranting for a single second, they would be able to smell it on him. The already disappearing trace of contentment, of food, of a woman's perfume, of sex, and one after the other went silent, and the curious and maybe even worried look on their faces switched places with accusation and disappointment.

And still Derek said nothing. What could he say? That he felt tired of being in charge and simply left them alone in a time of danger to fend for themselves? That he needed a little time off? That he had left them alone to have a little fun with a woman? He couldn't explain his reasoning, because no one of them would understand, couldn't understand. So he stayed silent, and the looks of betrayal got worse and worse, and even Scott, the only person he knew who was so good-natured and naive that he would even defend the devil himself if someone tried to harm him, was looking at him without understanding, without sympathy, with nothing else but disappointment and hurt.

And Derek knew that they didn't trust him. Not anymore. He knew that, every time they would look at him from this day forth, the only thing he would see was betrayal and distrust. And he knew that he wouldn't be able to bear it. He knew that he wasn't able to endure even more guilt, even more self-hatred than he already felt, everyday and every second of his life. So when Cora limped up to him, all bloody and beaten and barely able to keep herself upright, and simply slapped him in the face, he took it as his cue to leave.

He deserved so much more than a simple slap in the face, and he refused to let the scratches that Cora's claws left on his face heal, only to prolong the pain. It was the only thing that kept him from breaking down. He told himself that everything he did was because he had tried to protect them, everyone, tried to keep them safe, but deep inside he knew it wasn't true. He knew that he kept away out of pure selfishness. He kept away because he didn't want to be Derek Hale anymore, one of the only survivors of a once mighty werewolf-family, not a damn incompetent Alpha who couldn't even protect his own Beta's, who couldn't even keep them in check. For a small moment all he wanted to be was Derek, an ordinary guy who spend a few hours with the woman he loved.

Yes, he said love, and he knew what it meant. For the first time in his life he knew what that word really meant. Alone the thought of losing Jennifer ripped his heart apart, a bloody mess in his chest that hurt like nothing ever hurt before but refused to stop beating in his chest. Alone the thought of her dead body drove him mad with rage and the pain of loss like he hasn't felt it ever before, not even when his family burned alive in their house.

He didn't know where he was going, but he found himself in front of Jennifer's doorstep. Again this pull inside him had driven him towards her, and he longed for her comfort, for her touch, her voice and scent. The first thing that crossed her face was pleasant surprise, and he could already see the muscles in her face moving, ready to split it into a giant smile, but then she noticed the blood, the traces of a fight and the still bleeding scratched on his cheek, and her face morphed into an expression of worry and fear. She quickly pulled him inside and sat him down on her couch, hurrying away to grab a first aid kid she probably also used last night. He let her fuss over him, cleaning and disinfecting the few wounds he carried away while fighting Kali and the scratches made by Cora. He said nothing, just watched her, and her sight alone was enough to calm his agitated mind.

When she was done she just knelt in front of him, looking him in the face, waiting for him to talk. And he did. About everything. About Paige, his family, what role he played in the fire, about Laura's death and how Peter killed her, about the feeling's that had rushed through him when he had sliced his own uncle's throat. He told her about the Argents, about the kanima, how he wanted to simply kill the person who was responsible for all the murders without a second thought or mercy. He told her about Isaac, Boyd and Erica, how he wanted to build a pack, how he had lured them all into accepting the bite, how much he had thrived for power. And then he told her about the Alpha-Pack, how they kidnapped two of his Beta's, how he had tried to rescue them because he was responsible for them, how he had tried to keep them alive and save, how he was ready to give his own life for theirs, how he tried to save them by pretending he was dead and how it backfired just a few hours ago.

He just kept on talked, and he couldn't stop his mouth from moving even if he wanted to, and she just kept listening. For the first time Derek felt the indescribable urge to just talk, about all the shit that had happened in his life, and he loved her even more for the fact that she didn't interrupt him and never seemed to judge him. And then he talked about her. What he felt when he looked at her, how much the desire to be close to her influenced his decisions, how perfect she was in everything she did, how much he loved her smile and laughter and the way she began to ramble when she was insecure or embarrassed, how much he began to love her since the first time they met, what he had felt ever since he lay eyes upon her.

He only stopped speaking when he saw the tears that began to fall down her beautiful face, and everything he wanted to do was wipe and kiss them away, apologize for upsetting her and taking back everything he said so she would smile again. He leaned down to her, cupping her face and chasing away her tears with his thumbs. “I'm sorry. Just forget that I said anything,” he tried to reassure her, but Jennifer only let out a shaky laugh and shook her face. She stood up and climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs. She didn't say anything, just wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, smile still plastered on her face.

To say that Derek was confused would be an underestimation. When Jennifer pulled him tight and deepened the kiss he honestly didn't know what to feel. Relief? Worry? Was she about to say goodbye? Was this a goodbye-kiss? Or could it be that she felt the same, that she had begun to love him as much as he began to love her, that she was happy that he told her what he was feeling? He didn't dare to let his heart hope again. It has been betrayed too often already, and when it came to her, hope was just as crushing as it was vital to him. Maybe she would stay with him. Maybe she would leave. Maybe she would hate him, judge him for what he did. Maybe she wouldn't care about his past. He didn't dare to hope.

When she pulled away she didn't cry anymore, but her eyes were still glistening while she looked at him, a huge smile splitting her face in two. Warmth flooded through Derek's body against his will, and a voice inside his head whispered that this wasn't a goodbye. Her eyes were gentle and soft while she began to run her delicate fingers through his hair and over his face, smoothing his worries, and he closed his eyes and relaxed into her touch. They didn't say anything, just reveled in the presence of each other and their closeness.

“We could just go away. We could just start the car and drive, and we only stop when we found the place where we want to stay, to live in,” she suddenly said. Derek's eyes shot open in shock and he stared at her. Her face was straight and without amusement as a sign that she might have been joking, just a hidden excitement and gentleness hidden in her eyes.

“But, your job, you apartment-” he tried to argue, though he didn't really wanted to. He just wanted to take the offer and just start driving to wherever they wanted to, where no one knew them and they could start anew, as long as she was with him. But he was scared. What if she realized that she didn't feel the same like he did? What if she didn't think this through and suddenly noticed what she was missing out on? What if she didn't want to take this risk with him?

“I will quit and search myself a new school to teach at. My neighbor can take care of my belongings and send them on or sell them. I don't really care about them. I only care about you,” she said, cupping his face gently between her soft hands and caressing his cheeks with her thumbs, gently kissing him to emphasize her words.

“You would do that? For me?” he asked weakly, not sure if he could trust his voiced not to falter, tried not to get his hopes too high.

“I love you Derek. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you,” she said, looking him in the eyes. There was nothing else inside them than love, warmth and tenderness. With a soft smile he leaned in to her, breathing in her scent he didn't think he could life without anymore, before their lips met. It was gentle, nothing more than lips pressed against lips, but it was full of emotions. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and pressed her closer against his body. He could feel her flush against him, the heat of her body, the steady beating of her heart against his chest, the delicate flesh underneath his fingers, her warm and sweet breath mingled with his own, her soft lips on his. She was everywhere and everything.

He broke their kiss and rested his forehead against hers, opening his eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips full and red and stretched into a soft smile, her eyes shining gently underneath her long lashes while she looked right back at him. There was no doubt in them, just pure love and care while she stroked her hands through his hair and caressed his upper back and shoulders soothingly, lovingly, like he was the only thing in the world that mattered, the only thing of importance.

Derek couldn't stop himself and leaned in again, stealing another soft kiss before he nodded.


	3. Rising Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not my mother tongue

There was no one else on the highway but them, and Derek was glad for it. Everything still felt surreal to him, and he would have never thought that this would happen to him, that he would fall in love head over heals and elope. He felt as if he was taking part in a cheesy tearjerker, and he didn't want anyone to witness it.

Everything was dark inside the car, the only light coming from the dashboard and the headlights in front of them. He turned his head towards the passengers seat where he could make out Jennifer's silhouette easily with his keen senses in the soft light. Her expression was relaxed and comfortable while she was looking at the street ahead, a content little smile playing at her lips. He reached out a hand and grabbed one of hers that rested in her lap. She squeezed his hand and turned her head as well to give him a gentle and loving look.

It has already been an hour since they left Beacon Hills. Jennifer has had quickly packed her suitcase and got properly dressed before they got into her car. They had only stopped to get the tank full of gas and to grab the bag Derek had always kept in the trunk of his Camaro (which still stood in front of the abandoned mall where he nearly fell to his death) since Stiles and Scott accused him of murder, in case he had to go into hiding quickly. They didn't stop on their way ever since.

The first few miles Derek thought that, at some point, he would begin to feel guilty, to feel like he had to turn around and go back to help his pack, but the further they got the calmer he became. The further they moved away from Beacon Hills the farther his problems seem to get. Normally a wolf wouldn't be able to stand the long distance to his pack, but then Derek realized something. They weren't his pack anymore. Isaac, Boyd, Cora, Peter, even Scott, none of them saw him as their Alpha anymore (although he doubted that Peter and Scott ever saw him as his Alpha), and since Scott turned out to be a True Alpha they didn't necessarily _need_ him to be the leader of their pack any longer. They already found a replacement for him. But he didn't resent them. He could understand them. He didn't need them, too, he already got everything - or better _everyone -_ he needed here with him.

Derek entwined his hand with Jennifer's and rested them on her thigh while he kept on driving. He didn't know into which direction he drove, and neither did he care. They would come by a town eventually, and if they liked it they would stay, if not they would leave again, as simple as that. This kind of freedom felt liberating, to go wherever he wanted to go, not taking any life-changing responsibility for someone else than Jennifer and himself.

Once in a while a car would pass them by, but otherwise they were alone, the scenery behind the windows mostly staying the same with sparsely grown hills and the occasional tree here and there. Eventually he could hear Jennifer's heartbeat and breathing slow down, and when he looked at her again he saw her seeping with her head resting against the window, a peaceful expression on her beautiful face. Her hand still holding on tightly to his own.

 

xXx

 

Jennifer didn't know what she was doing. She really didn't. She has never done something like this before. Ever. She never even _thought_ about doing something like this... Well, maybe she did, but that was way back when she was still a child and she had dreamed about a prince in shining armor rescuing her and then carrying her into the sunset on his white horse. Now that she thought about it, this actually wasn't so far from the truth. Derek _did_ save her life, and although the white horse was her own red car he was still the one driving it.

The impulse to run away with him was as surprising to her as it was to him. She liked to think about herself as calm and collected, a woman who thought before she jumped into action, but ever since she met Derek this image flew out of the window and shattered deep deep down on the ground into tiny little pieces. She has had a lot of impulses since she met him. Her first impulse was to take his hand back then in this boiler room after she nearly go her throat ripped out by two werewolves (dear god, _werewolves_!). At first she hesitated. Who wouldn't if a bloody and totally slashed up guy stood in front of you, offering you his hand to help you up. But she gave in, because something inside her had told her that she could trust him. She didn't know what it was exactly, she only knew that this feeling never really vanished.

The next time she saw him was under considerably better circumstances. He wasn't injured or covered in blood anymore, and although this new strange feeling told her that he meant no harm she still reached for the pointer to defend herself. Like she said, she was actually a woman who _thought_ , and her common sense told her that a guy who crept into school and waited for her in her classroom after everything she saw that other night was anything but trustworthy.

At the end of their little talk she couldn't help but feel a little smitten by him, though. Oh, and she couldn't resist looking at his ass when he went out of the door, because, dear God, he was like the most gorgeous man she has ever seen. Which was also the reason why she felt like an idiot for her rambling. But which woman wouldn't when someone who look like _that_ stood in front of her? Well, most would probably flirt with him, but she was never this kind of woman, throwing herself at every good looking man she saw. Another topic her therapist found most interesting for some undefined reason.

She was a little disappointed when Derek didn't show up in the next couple of days, and she already pitied herself because she would probably never see or talk to him again. Good job for the rambling Jennifer, good job. Bye bye tall, dark and handsome, it was a pleasure meeting you. But wait, there he was! Covered in blood once again and decorating her car with bloody hand prints.

Seriously, how could she even _consider_ running away with someone who seemed to be dying more than half of the times she saw him? But still she did, and until now she didn't regret it for a single second. If she was honest, the time she had spend with him was the happiest she could remember. Her therapist would warn her about it, how she let herself get too attached in too little time, that it wasn't healthy and that it wouldn't last.

But how could something that felt so _right_ be so wrong? She knew that all of this was hurried, that she barely knew the man sitting next to her, driving her to whatever place there was. She should be terrified and suspicious, or at least cautious, asking herself if he wouldn't just drive into the middle of nowhere to rape or kill her. But like she said, she had a feeling about him, and that feeling told her that Derek would never do something like that to her, neither would he let someone else ever hurt her. She trusted him.

And he obviously trusted her, otherwise he wouldn't have shown up on her door that evening (injured again, but not as much covered in blood as usual she had to mention). At first she had thought that he was dying again, and her stomach had already dropped, but when he didn't collapse or showed any sign that his life was in imminent danger of dropping dead her heart began to beat a little calmer.

Until she saw his face.

He had looked so broken and defeated that she was scared to approach him, fearing that he would shatter at the slightest touch. It physically ached her to see him that way, the strong and confident man she got to know so lost and hurt. Everything she wanted to do in that moment was to gather him in her arms and hold him, tell him that it was going to be all right and that she was there for him, giving him strength and everything else he needed.

Something had happened, something terrible, and she was dying to know what it was, but at first she needed to take care of him. Again she gathered her first-aid kit and cleaned his wounds for the second time, and if she was naive enough she hoped that it was the last time she had to do it.

And then she waited. And listened to everything he said. And then she had cried like a sappy teenager when he began to talk about his feelings, because she was so happy. Derek was hurting and just told her his heart wrenching and shattering life-story, and she was _happy_ about it, that he trusted her so much to open his heart to her.

Because never, in her entire life, did she experience this feelings before. This feelings he evoked in her, this nearly _aching_ feeling of felicity and warmth and _love_. This isn't how it was supposed to be. They should have met normally, in a coffee shop or in the supermarket. They should have run into each other a few times before they would have gone to their first date in a more or less fancy restaurant. Maybe they would have kissed afterwards, but wouldn't have had sex for quite a while, not before they didn't know each other better. Love didn't come this fast. It just isn't meant to be this way. But the feeling in her chest told her something else. They were like magnet pulling towards each other, neither able to exist without the other. She hoped he felt it, too.

At least it was what she gathered out of the things he told her. The pure adoration and awe and warmth with witch he spoke of her, of his feelings towards her made her heart ache with too many emotion swelling inside it. The look in his eyes when he told her he loved her was the straw that broke the camel's back, and she started crying. She doubted that a person could feel so much happiness at the same time without exploding, and secretly she wondered if something was wrong with her and she just had a hidden heart attack.

She hadn't known what to say. There was just no words that could even approximately describe what she was feeling right now, so she simply settled on kissing him. Another impulse on her part, but, like she already said, she never regretted following them until now.

She actually thought that Derek would refuse running away with her, to simply leave, but the happy and hopeful look on his face when he nodded made her feel like a fool for even thinking that. And the thought of being alone with him, of letting everything behind and starting a new life together was thrilling to say the least. It was totally unplanned and she didn't know what would happen once they began to drive, but Jennifer wasn't scared. She only wanted Derek to be happy, and if he – _they_ – stayed in Beacon Hills, well, let's say she had a feeling that everything would become much worse for him. There were just too many ghosts for him in this town.

Her therapist would tell her that she was being silly, that running away with a good-looking man in the middle of the night wouldn't solve any problems, neither his nor hers. He would tell her that she didn't love him - that _he_ didn't love _her_ \- and that all of this was just a condition evoked by too many hormones that would fade sooner rather than later.

But that was not what she wanted and believed, _wanted_ to believe, that all of this wasn't just too many endorphins obscuring her brain. She wanted to believe that, for once, the cheesy and stereotypical descriptions in the books she read were true. That somewhere out there was the love of her life, someone she couldn't life without and who she loved more than her own life and who loved her back just equally. She wanted to believe that Derek was this someone, the man of her life, her other half, her soulmate. And her gut feeling was telling her that, maybe, this believe wasn't so far fetched as she might think.

The scenery outside the window of her car didn't change much while they drove on, and the dark world outside looked so far away to her that they didn't seem to belong to the same world anymore. Derek's hand was warm and strong, his grip never weakening while he concentrated on the road, and the touch had something soothing and comforting that even followed her into her dreams.

A soft voice was waking her later on, together with gentle fingers caressing her face. When she opened her eyes everything was blurry and she quickly squeezed them shut again to rub the sand out of them and she could hear her jaw crackle when she yawned. She opened her eyes again and saw Derek looking at her with a small smile.

They had stopped on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere, the sky still in a shady kind of blue that showed that she sun still didn't rise. Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows, the picture of her own mangled and half rotten corpse getting eaten by coyotes coming back to her mind, but she discarded that thought quickly.

“Why did we stop? Did something happen?” she asked worried. Maybe the had an engine failure or a blowout and now had to wait for someone to drive by and help them. Or Derek hit an animal, but in that case she would have woken up earlier by the crash and he wouldn't smile at her like that.

Instead of answering her he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently from her seat. He guided her to the front of the car, their feet rising dust with every step they took on the dry earth. Derek then leaned against the hood and and pulled her back to his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and rested his cheek against her head.

“Just watch,” he told her, and they didn't speak while they stood there, looking at the horizon. The air was still chilly from the night and biting through her clothes and the exposed skin of her legs that peeked out from under her dress. When she began to shudder Derek pulled her closer to him and ran his hands over her sides and arms to warm her up.

And then she saw it.

At first it was only a slim line of red and orange that peeked over the hills on the horizon, but slowly the line got broader and broader until it looked like a fire was burning in the distance. When the sun was following next the whole sky seemed to lighten up, the gray-blue hue of the clouds changing to red and violet that painted their undersides, painting a beautiful picture. When the rays of the sun finally met Jennifer's face and she could feel their warmth she couldn't help but smile.

“This is so beautiful that it's already kitschy,” she said and turned her head around to look at the man still holding her in his arms. Derek chuckled and even looked a little embarrassed before he leaned down and pecked her lips before he looked forward again.

Jennifer couldn't help but be mesmerized by his eyes. The way the sun was shining into them made them glow like emeralds. At first she had thought them to be gray with a slight touch of green. But now they were totally different, as if they had been overshadowed before and now showed their true color.

But that wasn't everything. They were now glowing in a way she hasn't seen before, and they were looking on so determined and confident that she couldn't help but feel infected by it.

All the worries she has had before slowly seemed to diminish into nothingness, and with a resolve she hadn't felt in a very long time she turned her head again, looking into the rising sun.

Into their future.


	4. Decisions, Decisions

It was early noon when they drove into the first town. Jennifer hadn't said anything about the hunger that gnawed at her stomach for quite some time, but going from the amused and maybe even a little sorry expression on Derek's face he could perfectly hear the grumbling. As soon as they saw the first diner he pulled over and parked the car on one of the free spaces.

Jennifer felt a little embarrassed when they got off the car, but Derek just took her hand while they walked over the parking lot and inside. The diner was well attended but not crowded, and they searched themselves a free booth by one of the big windows in the back. A waitress quickly came over, a young woman with freckles and curly red hair tied in a ponytail who seemed to mostly ignore Jennifer as a whole and gave Derek a pleasant smile and an especially sway-y sway of her hips.

Jennifer glared at her retreating back and imagined her stumbling and falling on her face. She felt a little better at the image, and quickly began to read the menu in search for something hearty to eat. Salad? No sir, thank you. At the end she settled for something that called itself 'Lucifer's Inferno' and a glass of cool lemonade.

When she told the waitress her order she saw how Derek's eyebrows rose at her choice and couldn't suppress a small smile at his expression. It vanished though when the red-haired witch turned to Derek and gave him this smile again while she ached her back a little to put her breasts more on display. Jennifer didn't hear what he ordered while she glared at the waitress again, this time hoping she would turn around and see her dark look so she would finally stop undressing her boyfriend (could you say boyfriend after one and a half days?) with her eyes.

She only snapped out of her thoughts of cruel vengeance (maybe she could sacrifice her or something) when Derek took her hand. She blinked a few times before she turned her head towards his face, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“I asked if you were okay,” Derek repeated himself, quickly looking down the rows to maybe make out what upset her like that.

“What? Oh, um, yes. Why not?” Jennifer tried to cover it up, but from his raised eyebrow Derek wasn't buying it. She let out an exasperated huff and wiped the false grin from her face. “Don't tell me you didn't notice how she was flirting with you,” she said and pointed with her head towards the waitress that now stood behind the counter, pouring someone a cub of coffee.

Derek furrowed his brows again before raising one of them disbelievingly. “You're jealous?” he asked with a small upturn of his lips, but Jennifer didn't feel like smiling right now.

“I'm not! And she wasn't just flirting, she was practically offering herself at you! If I weren't here I bet she would have already given you her number together with a lap-dance!” she said, more and more agitated by the second. She didn't know why she was so furious, but for some reason she felt as if she wanted to slap the freckles right off the waitress' face for even _thinking_ about stealing her man!

“Hey now,” Derek tried to sooth her and reached over the table with his other hand as well, squeezing the hand of her he was already holding. “I'm not having lunch with _her_ but with _you_ , and honestly, if you didn't point her out I wouldn't have wasted a second thought about her,” he said and drew little half circles on the back of her hand with his thumbs to sooth her.

Jennifer took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, forcing the thoughts of a violent murder out of her mind. “I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me,” she replied and rubbed over he forehead with her free hand. Derek gave a last squeeze before he leaned back into his seat again, though he still hold on to her. “Maybe I'm just tired, and I still need to call the school to tell them I quit, and my neighbors in Beacon Hills so they take care of my stuff.”

“Let's stop at the next Motel then,”Derek suggested, and now in the better lighting and him sitting in front of her she could make out the dark lines underneath his eyes and how tired he looked. She at least had been able to sleep for a little bit while they were driving, but he didn't sleep in more than twenty four hours and has been through a lot more than she did. He really needed the rest.

She was startled out of her thoughts when their food arrived, a simple burger with fries for him and her own... well, it looked like a chili, but she wasn't entirely sure of it. Derek was making a sour and worried face, his eyes switching between her food and her face. “What?” she finally asked curiously.

“I can practically _taste_ the capsaicin from over here. You sure you want to eat that?” he asked worriedly. Smiling smugly Jennifer took her spoon and gathered a healthy amount of the red stew on it before shoving it into her mouth. It wasn't half bad. Still smiling she took another few spoons, delighted when Derek shook his head disbelievingly and began to eat his fires.

They ate in comfortable silence after that, and Jennifer was happy to get something into her empty stomach, the chili warming her from the inside. When she was done she felt full and satisfied, contently sipping at her lemonade and watched how the man in front of her finished his own plate. Everything was fine until the red-haired witch came over again, asking Derek if he wanted something else with a voice that was so sickly sweet that Jennifer had the urge to throw up. Right into her face.

 _Nothing from you, bitch._ “No, thank you, that was everything. We would like to pay, though,” Jennifer answered instead, giving the waitress the biggest fake-smile she could muster, as if she didn't see how she had tried to seduce her boyfriend. _Oh yes, I'm here, too._ The witch gave her a tight smile and an annoyed nod before she turned around to get their bill. Derek looked quite amused, but Jennifer shot him a warning glare to not say anything.

After they (speak Derek) paid she practically dragged him out of the diner towards the car, though she knew that it was only possible because he let her. Werewolf strength, blah, blah. When they were seated again Jennifer let out an annoying huff before she fastened her seat-belt.

“Still not jealous?” Derek asked, and even without looking she could tell that he was smiling smugly.

“Oh, shut it! Drive!” she said and slapped his upper arm in annoyance. Derek just chuckled and began to settle into the traffic while Jennifer glared out of the window. “I don't want to stay in this town,” she half mumbled, but Derek chuckled again and lay a hand on the place over her knee, his thumb running soothing circles on the little bit of exposed skin there.

They were driving down the main road for a few minutes until they could see the sign of a motel to their left and Derek quickly turned into the parking lot. It didn't look as shabby as Jennifer would have thought and she was pleasantly surprised. They quickly grabbed their bags and suitcase from the trunk and went to the reception.

An elderly woman sat behind the counter with a pleasant smile on her lips while she was knitting. When they stepped in she looked up and her smile broadened before she got up and put her needles aside. “How can I help you?”

“With a room for a night or two,” Derek said with a smile of his own. Jennifer nearly had to giggle at the way the elder lady began to coo over him.

She asked for their names and a credit card, still smiling while she slowly tipped on the keyboard of an old computer. “Are you traveling through?” she small talked and turned around to get a key from the board behind her. When they nodded her smile broadened and her eyes shone with happy excitement. “On the way to your honeymoon?”

Derek had a mischievous smile on his face, and Jennifer was barely able to contain her own. “Something like that,” she answered instead and accepted the keys.

Derek was carrying their luggage down the corridor on the outside of the building to their room. A single double bed with deep red covers stood at the wall in the center flanked by two night tables, an old TV standing on the opposite wall while the door in the back to the bathroom stood open slightly.

Derek put his bag and her suitcase at the foot of the bed and sank down on it with a huff, one hand reaching up to rub his eyes. Pitying Jennifer came up to him from where she was examining the bathroom and run her fingers through his hair. “What about you take a shower while I make my calls?” she reasoned. He nodded and stood up, giving her a small kiss before he made his way to the shower, shrugging off his leather jacket in the process.

Jennifer on the other hand grabbed into her purse and fished out her smartphone before she went out of the door. She let out a deep breath while she leaned on the handrail to prepare herself before she searched out the number of the High School. It was an unpleasant call to say the least. First she had to let herself get jelled at because she didn't give in a medical certification and didn't call herself sick again this morning. And then she had to endure the next jelling when she told the headmaster that she was quitting. She lied and told him that her father had a crippling stroke and that she had to take care of him now, but on the inside she felt bad to misuse such a tragic incident for her own cause.

At the end it was over faster than she thought, but the next call was what she was dreading the most. Her neighbors Mr. and Ms. Reever weren't unpleasant people, actually it was quite the opposite. It often happened that they invited her on the weekends for coffee and a slice of cake in their beautiful garden. She already felt miserable to tell them that she would never come over again, or that Mr. Reever would never be able to show her all the tricks he uses to keep his Roses and bushes in good shape.

Jennifer took another deep breath before she dialed the number of her neighbors (they gave it to her when she just moved to Beacon Hills, 'in case she needed anything', with a notably emphasis of 'anything'). She waited a few seconds with her phone pressed to her ear, her fingers nervously tapping on the handrail.

Like she predicted it wasn't easy to tell them that she was gone. Ms. Reever picked up the phone and was already chattering away about how Jennifer should come over again some time and that the apples and plums in her garden were ripe for the picking and how she would make wonderful pies out of them. It nearly broke Jennifer's heart to interrupt the older woman. Again she told the story of her father who had a crippling stroke (and the lie didn't feel any better the second time, in fact she felt even worse for repeating it) and how she had leave to take care of him.

The silence on the other end was nearly deafening, but just when Jennifer wanted to say something Ms. Reever was blurting out her words of condolence and already asked if she and her husband could help her in any way possible. Jennifer nearly began to cry and couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice completely when she told her that, yes, in fact they could do something for her. Ms. Reever nearly overturned herself with zest of action, promising that she will take good care of Jennifer's belongings and house for as long as she needed to sort out things with her father.

Jennifer quickly thanked her and tried to end the call without being rude and before she began to cry altogether. It took her a few moments to gather herself and to wipe away the few tears that had stolen their way down her face before she went inside again. She could still hear the shower running, and after she put her phone back into her purse she began to strip out of her dress and underwear on her way to the bathroom.

Derek had his hands bracing against the wall while he let the water pour down his well toned body. Jennifer still couldn't understand what she did to deserve a man so gorgeous it was borderline ridiculous. She quickly got into the stall with him and wrapped her arms around his wet, muscled torso, her cheek resting on his back. She felt him stir underneath her touch, but she didn't let go when he turned around towards her.

One of his hands rested on her hip while the other one cradled her cheek. “Is everything okay?” he asked, his brows furrowed in worry. Maybe he had been able to hear her outside with his enhanced hearing or was able to smell the traces of tears on her face. Jennifer just nodded and smiled up to him, although she doubted that he would believe her, so she turned her head upwards and kissed him.

At first he was hesitant, probably debating with himself if he should confront her about what happened or not, but at the end he wrapped his arms tightly around her and deepened the kiss. It was comforting for her to feel Derek so close, and the weight that had settled on her chest after the call to Ms. Reever was lifting again. She knew, here in his arms, that she had made the right decision.

Too soon for her liking he pulled away from her again, and she whined in protest. Derek just smiled and grabbed behind him, and before she could say knife he had poured a generous heap of shampoo onto her head. “Oh yes, this is a very subtle way of telling me that I'm smelling,” she said smiling while Derek's hands began to gently rub it into her hair. “I'm a big girl, you know? I can wash myself.”

“I know,” was everything Derek said before he continued. After he was done with her hair and the water had washed the remains away he grabbed the bar of soap that was lying on the attachment on the wall and knelt down in front of her and began to wash her legs.

At first his touch had been relaxing, the way he had messaged her scalp, but now that he was kneeling in front of her and his slippery hands were gliding smoothly up over her legs she began to feel this familiar tingle between her legs and she closed her eyes at the sensation. She knew that this hasn't been Derek's purpose when he started off with it, but she hoped that it was the path he would go down better sooner than later.

Eventually he stood up again and nudged her shoulder a little so she would turn around. The next thing she felt was how his rough hands were running over her back, his thumbs brushing her spine on their way downwards, and Jennifer had to suppress aching her back while a shiver ran through her body. She couldn't suppress a small sigh though when he reached her buttocks and then slid his hands to her front.

His hands were gentle while they caressed her belly, but Jennifer got a little frustrated when they didn't move lower than her hip bone. Thankfully though they moved upwards and eventually slid over her breasts. Little moans escaped her when he was running his hands over them, his fingers brushing over her nipples and the soft mounds. One hand was making it's way further upwards, and Jennifer leaned her head back against Derek's shoulder while it ran over her neck.

She leaned back into his body completely while he caressed her, and she loved the feeling of his taunt muscles against her, their wet skin creating a delicious new feeling. She could also feel his erection hot and pulsating against her backside. She arched her spine a little, grinding her ass against his groins and smiled when she heard him groaning lowly behind her.

She felt his hot breath against her neck before she felt his lips and rough stubble, and she tilted her head to the side to let him gain better access. His hands were now eagerly messaging her breasts and pinching her nipples, and at this point Jennifer wondered where the bar of soap has gone. She didn't care how wantonly she sounded while she moaned at his touch, she just wanted to finally feel him inside her, her center already throbbing with desire and need for him.

She ground her ass against his cock again to urge him to go on, and she didn't have to wait long before he turned her around and possessed her lips with his, his tongue sliding into her mouth and swallowing her moans. He leaned her backwards in the small shower until her back hit the tiles, his hands already at her ass, ready to lift her up. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist while he was holding her upwards, her hands around his shoulders to pull him closer.

For the first time since Derek knelt down she opened her eyes and looked at him. Peals of water were running down his face and into his beard, his lips slightly parted, his breath heavy and his eyes dark with lust. She held his gaze even when she felt the tip of his erection grazing her opening and when he began to push into her agonizingly slow.

Derek's thrusts were lazy and controlled, but every time he slid home he buried himself to the hilt inside her, and every so often she could feel him brush against her cervix. Every time he pulled out and moved back in she felt as if he was touching something deep inside her, and that had nothing to do with the way his hips were pushing against hers. When she continued to look into his eyes she could see his soul, outspread and bare and vulnerable in front of her, as if he was urging her to take it.

It was far more intimate than she ever thought possible, the way he was so intensely looking at her while he gently rocked them against each other, the way he had washed her, took care of her, the way he had touched her, as if she was the most precious creature on the entire planet. Soon she was trembling in his arms while she felt her climax coming closer and closer until she shattered against his body.

She couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut while her orgasm over took her and shook her body uncontrollably. Her walls contracted violently around his hard length, and through the haze of her pleasure she felt him twitch inside her before he filled her with his hot seed, his face buried in her neck while his hips erratically pushed against her to fulfill his primal desires.

Cooling water was still running down their joined bodies, but neither attempted to move, both catching their breaths while they enjoyed their intimacy a little longer. Eventually though Derek lowered her back on her feet, sliding out of her in the process, and Jennifer immediately felt the loss, the incompletion. Her legs were wobbly, but Derek had his arms tightly wrapped around her body, supporting her.

“I'm sorry,” he eventually mumbled into her hair.

“What for?” Jennifer asked in confusion.

“For dragging you into this mess,” Derek explained, and his gaze was miserable and guilty. Jennifer reached up and cupped his stubbly cheeks into her hands.

“Don't be sorry,” she said and pecked him on the lips softly. “There is no place I rather want to be.” Derek gave her a soft barely-there-smile, and Jennifer smirked before she gave him another kiss.

After a while they stepped out of the shower and dried each other off before they went back into the bedroom. None of them bothered with clothes and just sank onto the bed and crawled under the covers facing each other. Derek snuggled closer to Jennifer and wrapped his arms around her waist, his face buried against her chest and listening to her heartbeat while she ran a hand through his still wet hair.

“I love you,” he mumbled against her breast, nuzzling a little closer. Jennifer smiled while she thought about the moment in the shower where he looked so vulnerable and open. A lot of bad things had happened in his life, and she wished she could undo them, make them disappear, but she couldn't. She could only try to make it better for him in the future.

“I love you, too,” she whispered into his hair and felt him smile against her.

Yes, she has definitely made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this more smutty than the first chapter. Back then I rather wanted to describe the spiritual level of what Derek was feeling, the bond that was forming, but now I think I will stick with simple smut.  
> Hope you like it, and, just for good masure, English is still not my first language.


	5. Bubbly

It didn't took them long to reach the ocean. Jennifer has never been to the sea before, and when she had breathed in the salty smell of the water the feeling of freedom that had overtook her since they've left Beacon Hills intensified tenfold. She didn't know if Derek had felt the same or if he just guessed her thoughts, but since they had reached the water he had driven alongside the shore ever since.

Sometimes they would sleep in the car while the sound of the waves would lull them to sleep, both of them cuddled closely on the passenger's seat, Jennifer lying on his chest while the sound of his heart was relaxing her muscles. Sometimes it was unbelievably comfortable, but on other days it was more than a little painful, especially when they woke up and their joints would pop and their muscles were cramping. Jennifer had more problems with it than Derek, freaky werewolf powers and so on. Eventually he caught up on how unfortunate the car was to sleep in, and they've been sleeping in Motels (sometimes even classy hotel rooms) ever since.

But they never stayed very long in one place. They would get themselves a room, wash their laundry in the local Laundromat, would take a walk through the town and look at the local tourist features. In every new town Derek would eventually ask her out (not that she had anything else to do really). He would take her to the movies, dancing, or he would just take a walk with her at the beach while the sun was setting behind the ocean and the stars were filling the sky while he held her hand. He even took her shopping when she complained that she had nothing proper to wear when he asked her out into a fancy restaurant (not that Derek had anything proper to wear either).

He always payed, no matter what. Clothes, motels, food, fuel. She always wondered how he could afford all of this, although she knew that it was rude to ask about other people's money. One time in bed she had finally asked and he had told her about his family, how they've always been well off, and of the insurance he finally got when the police had finally discovered that it hasn't been food left on the oven that set the house on fire but arson. The company had put a fruity compensation on top of it to keep Derek's mouth shut about the unfortunate incident of corruption of the administrator. And as the only official Hale left alive he was the only person who had access to the bank account that hoisted all the money. Money that would provide even his great-grandchildren with a comfortable life. Jennifer felt very proud of herself that she fell in love with this man before she knew that he was rich.

After weeks of driving, sightseeing and getting-to-know-each-other'n they had driven the whole coast from top to bottom (Jen had loved Los Angeles and their visit to the Santa Monica Pier and their trip to Alcatraz in San Franscisco), and Jennifer thought she could already smell the Mexican air. They turned inland then, and as much as Jennifer loved the ocean, she didn't think that she could stand the smell of algae and salty fish for the rest of her life. She didn't even want to imagine how it had to be for Derek and his sensitive nose.

As much as California was called the sunny state, Jennifer never encountered as much sun on days on end than while they drove close to the border of Mexico. Derek didn't took the amount of heat very well, either. He got grumpy and silent just like during the two full moons that have crossed the sky ever since their departure, barely cuddling with her in bed because of the additional heat. As much as she loved seeing Derek walking around shirtless, the no-cuddling (and no-sex, because, heat, you know?) side-effect neglected her every joyous feelings.

They quickly turned north again, and the further they got the better Derek's mood became, at least until they entered the desert and crossed the border of Nevada. Both of them hated it. The vast, dry nothingness of the desert and the mountains, not a single soul crossing their path, not even a small town. Jennifer felt eerily reminded of Stephen King's 'Desperation', and she was actually glad to sleep in the car that night.

Snuggling closer into Derek's warmth under the thin blanket they bought on one of their stops she breathed out a contented sigh. This was one of the nights she felt incredibly comfortable, and when Derek wound his arms a little tighter around her waist she couldn't imagine a better place on earth. After a while of silence she could hear the howl of a coyote in the distance, and she could feel Derek tense underneath her.

“For a werewolf you get startled quite easily,” Jennifer commented at which Derek just let out an unimpressed snort.

“I'm not scared for myself,” he replied eventually, his voice quiet and rough, the sound sending pleasant shivers down Jen's spine, and his concern was warming her heart.

“Why? I have a big bad wolf protecting me. I have nothing to worry about,” she said, and she could feel his chest rumble underneath he with his silent chuckles.

“Coyotes are just another reason why I don't want to stay in Nevada,” Derek eventually threw into the room, his voice already thick with sleepiness.

“There is not really something worth staying _at all_ ,” she agreed, nuzzling her face further into his chest and breathing in his scent, her muscles relaxing and her mind grew ready to fall asleep at the steady thumb of Derek's heart.

“What about Vegas?” Jennifer raised her head, and in the dim light of the car she could see the smirk that played on Derek's lips.

She shook her head and lay down again. “Please don't tell me you're one of those guys who would want to spend their honeymoon there.”

“Nah,” he said and then sighed, rearranging his hands on Jennifer's waist, but she could feel that his muscles became tense under her once again, but this time she was sure that it had nothing to do with the coyotes roaming the planes outside.

“What is it?” she asked. Derek shifted a little underneath her as if he doesn't feel completely comfortable with himself.

“Nothing,” he replied, but Jennifer just raised her head and raised her eyebrow at him, aware that he could see it perfectly with his werewolf eyes. He sighed and shifted again, looking out of the window and back at her face while he struggled to find the right words. “It was just a thought that crossed my mind,” he eventually said evasively, not looking at her face.

Again Jennifer raised an eyebrow at him, not letting the topic drop. She wished that he was honest with her, that he would trust her with everything that bothered his mind. How should they share their life with each other when they didn't even share their thoughts? And she wanted to, share her life with him that is. The things she had felt since she first met him, those feelings of trust and care and love haven't weakened since they started this journey. Whenever she looked at him those butterflies started to dance tango insider her stomach and her heart felt like exploding with all the emotions she was feeling for this man she barely knew for two months, but at the same time felt as if she had known him for an eternity.

She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore, the mere thought of living alone or with someone else than Derek filled her whole body with dread and a coldness that felt as if it was crushing her heart and struck deep into her bones. The thought of spending her life without this feelings growing inside her every single day - without seeing the smile that he would reserve solely for her, without the warmth that flooded her whenever he took her hand or brushed his lips over hers and how he made her skin tingle with every gentle caress - was just unbearable. Sometimes she thought that it was another supernatural mojo thingy that made her feel this way, but she honestly didn't care. All she knew was that she never wanted this feelings to go away. She didn't want _Derek_ to go away. All she wanted was to be by his side for the rest of her life.

Derek still hasn't said what had shot through his mind, but Jennifer was determined to not let up. His eyes were still looking everywhere but her face, and although she couldn't see exactly in the dim light in the car she thought that he looked distraught. “Please Derek,” she pleaded worriedly, “tell me what's wrong.”

He swallowed hard and then finally met her eyes. He looked uncertain and sad, his brows furred together in worry. “If it's _wrong_ or not actually depends on you,” he eventually said, and his voice was cautious and low, as if he was scared what her reaction might be. Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows at him, confused by what he said but not willing to interrupt him now that he started to talk. “How long do we know each other?”

“Do you mean counted from the day you saved my life in that boiler room or from the day we ran away together?” she said with a smile, trying to ease the situation a little. He smiled back, but she saw that it was false and tense. He ran his tongue over his lips and still looked at her expectantly. “A little more than two months,” she eventually answered. His behavior up till now frightened her a little.

Maybe he had second thoughts? Maybe he was already fed up with her? Sure, they've had a few arguments, but they were always close to the full moon so she had blamed the luminary for them. Maybe these arguments meant more than she thought? What did they even argued about? She couldn't remember. Maybe that had been the real reason why he didn't want to have sex or cuddle with her when they were close to Mexico? Maybe her therapist would have been right and all the things she was feeling were caused by a huge dose of hormones? She knew that wasn't true - she refused to believe that - but she could only speak for herself. What if it was the case for Derek, though, and it already wore off?

Cautious and more than a little frightened now she waited until Derek decided to talk again, the tension that suddenly hung in the air nearly suffocating. Derek bit his lower lip and released it again, sighing into the silence of the car and his gaze wandering through the interior again.

“I know that this isn't such a long time,” he began after a while, and Jennifer was thankful that he spoke again. She couldn't stand another second of this silence, this uncertainty. All of Derek's muscles were tense underneath her. “But when I thought about Vegas...” he trailed off and averted her eyes again, and Jennifer could see that he was embarrassed.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. She didn't know what he was driving at. What was he thinking about Las Vegas? And then it hit her. Jennifer's eyes went large in realization and she couldn't stop gaping at him.

Derek let out another embarrassed sigh and raised a hand from her waist to rub his forehead. “It was just a thought -”

“You want Elvis to marry us?” Jennifer interrupted him disbelievingly when she finally found her voice again. Intently she watched him, how he was trying to decide what to say, like he tried to gather enough courage to speak the words out loud. To risk agreeing or to risk saying no.

“Not exactly Elvis, but-umph!” Jennifer's lips were on him in seconds, locking the words he had wanted to say inside his mouth. At first he was startled, but as if he decided that her kiss was not a bad sign her slung his arms around her as tight as possible and kissed her back with the same vigor.

Jennifer thought her heart was bursting from happiness again, just like when Derek had told her he loved her not too long ago in her living room. It was rising inside her chest and burst out of her mouth in giggles while she framed his face with her hands and kissed him all over. She was beaming when she pulled away a little and saw the relieved and delighted expression on his face.

“Is that a yes?” he asked quietly, smiling and rubbing his nose against hers.

Jennifer felt as if her face was breaking, but she didn't care how much she grinned like an idiot. “You have to ask a question first before I can give you a proper answer,” she said teasingly and giggled again when Derek rolled his eyes, but she knew that he was as drunken with happiness as she was.

“Do you want to get married to me by Elvis?” he asked and looked her in the eyes hopefully.

Jennifer didn't know if she should laugh or cry, so she decided to do both. The words have left her mind and her throat was stuck with unexpressed emotions. She could only nod.

He was on her in seconds. His mouth was devouring hers while his hands were roaming her body underneath the thin blanket, running over her back and arms and hair and every place he could reach. A few tears slipped from her eyes and he kissed them away while he bestowed her face and neck with a myriad of kisses. He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath before he let it out again in a laugh.

After a few moments in which he only held her tightly in his arms he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and slowly worked his way back to her lips. “I love you,” he mumbled gently against her skin and kissed her over and over again, pressing her impossibly closer to his body. “So much.”

There was nothing Jennifer could reply. There was just no word in her vocabulary that could accommodate to the sheer greatness of what she was feeling for him. The tears of joy were running down her face freely now, and she clung to Derek like he was her saving grace, the only thing preventing her from drowning in this hazard of emotions that swirled in her chest. Eventually she had to breathe again and pulled away from his lips, taking in huge amounts of air, not only because of the oxygen but also to stop herself from weeping like a little girl.

She rested her forehead against his while she tried to regain her bearings, feeling how Derek wiped away the tears that clung to her cheeks with his rough hands. When she opened her eyes he was observing her face, his eyes full of reverence and affection that she wanted to cry again. Her face broke out into a beaming smile again and Derek replied it with his own before he pecked her lips tenderly one last time.

“I don't think I can fall asleep now,” Jennifer whispered, her voice weak and shaking. Derek chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Shall we start driving again?” he asked hopefully, and Jen couldn't stop the excitement that started to bubble inside her. She nodded, and in less than a minute Derek was behind the steering wheel again and started the ignition. Like so often during their trip he held her hand during the ride, but this time it was different. His fingers were restless, his thumb running over the back of her hand, or all of his fingers caressing her palm, interlacing them with hers every once in a while.

Jennifer didn't fell any different. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her muscles twitching with excitement. The tension in the interior of the car was palpable, and it was impossible to calm down and think reasonable. The only thing she could think about was that Derek wanted to marry her, that they would be married in a few _hours_. It was like a terrible love movie. First they eloped and then they got married in Vegas not two months later. But she didn't want to wait. She loved him, more than anything in the world, and something inside her told her that she would do so for the rest of her life, that she would never love someone else than him. So why should she wait when she knew, deep inside her bones, that Derek was the right one, the man of her life?

Outside the window the desert was sliding past them, but in that moment Jennifer was more than happy that they have come to Nevada.


	6. Until Death Do Us Part

Never has Derek thought that this would happen to him. To be honest, he still couldn't wrap his mind around it completely. Never has he thought that he would be able to fall in love again after everything that had happened in his life, after Paige's death and Kate's betrayal, but here he is, in bed with a beautiful and gentle and kind and loving woman.

And she was all his.

At first he had been afraid. Afraid what she would think of him when he would ask her to marry him in Vegas after only two months, hence his hesitation. But the look in her eyes when she had asked him what was wrong when he had suddenly tensed has told him that she wouldn't let up until he shared his thought. But he was more than ecstatic with the outcome.

Never had he felt so happy in his entire life. He doubted anyone who has known him after (and probably even before) the fire that killed his family would have recognized him with the stupid grin that has been plastered on his face ever since she said 'yes'. But now he had the chance to have a family again, and that was more than enough of a reason to make his heart burst in his chest.

He remembered himself and Jennifer in the little chapel, a memory that was still very fresh in his mind. The way her eyes have shone with love, and with how much conviction she had spoken her vows. It was the most wonderful thing he has ever heard. He could barely remember himself returning the words. Everything was a blur, from the obtaining of the marriage license over the exchange of their rings to their drive to the 'Caesars' (What? It was a special occasion). He could only remember how he had kissed her in the elevator on their way to their room, and then again on their bed while he had made love to her, his wife.

His _wife_.

The thought of spending the rest of his life with her, of waking up next to her every morning, the thought that she belonged to him and he to her as long as they lived made his chest swell with happiness and every kind of emotion he never thought he would ever feel. He asked himself if anyone else in the world who married felt the same way. He doubted it.

He could hear the city buzzing outside their window, but he was ignoring it, his mind solely focused on Jennifer's sleeping form. Sunlight was already falling through the slim gap of the curtains, some of the rays falling on her face. A streak of her hair fell into her face when she turned her head to nuzzle into his chest to hide from the light. She winkled her nose and reached up with one hand to scratch it. He took pity on her hand brushed the lock out of her face, letting his fingers caress her soft skin for a second when he tucked it behind her ear.

With a tired huff Jennifer opened her eyes, gaze still unfocused and sleepy before she began to yawn and rub at her eyes to get the sand out of them. Smiling Derek leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Good morning Mrs. Hale,” he said quietly, not really wanting to brake the peaceful silence but wanting to speak those words out loud. It still felt like a dream to him.

Jennifer's face split into a smile when she tilted her head and gave him a gentle kiss, her delicate fingers running over his chest. She lay back down after it with a content sigh, snuggling closer to him underneath the duvet, tugging her head snugly under his chin. Derek tilted his head a little and buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her sweet scent. It was a good thing he wouldn't have to live his life without it any more. He was already addicted to it. He was addicted to _her_.

He let his hands gently roam over her soft skin, his fingers brushing over her back and arms while he relished in their closeness. His right hand eventually got to her hand that was resting on his chest, and with a pleased smile he felt the small raising of her wedding ring on her finger. It was simply golden, nothing fancy, but it was the most perfect thing in the world, only surpassed by his wife

“So in the end we still have our honeymoon in Las Vegas,” Jennifer said after a long while of comfortable silence. Derek chuckled and tugged her a little closer to his body while he rearranged himself under the sheets so they were facing and he could kiss her properly. She was smiling when he pressed his lips to hers. He has done it plenty of times since he met her, but now it was different. The idea that he was the only man in the world allowed to press his lips to hers was giving this already wonderful sensation another boost.

He couldn't stop his hands from running over her body, touching every place he has kissed last night, and the little gasps and breathy moans that escape her were a generous reward. When he started to nibble at her jaw her hooked one hand under her knee and lifted her leg over his hip before he gently rolled her on her back. Her chest was rapidly rising and falling against his torso and her hands were tangled in his hair.

He remembered how she had done it the previous night, how she had clung to him while he had worshiped her body, how she had trembled and withered underneath him before he's even been inside her. How much effort it had took him to go slowly, to make it last, to savor that precious moment. He had told her how much he loved her, how beautiful she was, how she made him complete and filled the hole in his chest, how he couldn't live without her anymore, had murmured her name like a prayer. He remembered her face when she came, how she had nearly cried when she finally shattered underneath him, from his touch and his words, and he has had no problems following her over the edge.

Now was not any different. She was withering under him, trying to get closer while she wrapped her other leg around his hip as well, trying to get him inside with a raise of her hips. When he entered her it was as if he found heaven for the umpteenth time since he met her. There was nothing else than pure bliss and completion, something he has never felt before, not even when his family was still alive. All he wanted to do was make love to her like this until the day he died.

He told her so, told her of how he felt whenever he was with her, how he never wanted to leave the bed, only them in their own little world. And she pulled him closer, told him to go deeper and deeper until they would melt together, until no one could tell them apart, tear them apart. She told him of how much she wanted to be with him, how much she loved him back, how she never wanted to be parted from him ever again.

She was screaming in release not long after, her body shaking and her beautiful voice moaning his name over and over and over again, totally out of control, and he joined her immediately, the two of them climbing to this point of ecstasy together.

He kissed her afterwards, lazy and sated after their union. Jennifer was running her hands through his hair and over his shoulders absentmindedly , and Derek just wanted to get lost in her embrace, both of them hidden in their room, not minding if he never saw the outside world ever again.

Jennifer seemingly read his thoughts, though, and smiled against his lips. “You know we can't stay here forever,” she mumbled between kisses. Derek just whined in dissatisfaction and buried his face in his laughing wife's neck.

“Want to go sightseeing?” Derek asked while he nibbled at her jawline. Jennifer tilted her head a little to let him gain better access before she nodded.

“We could go and see some kind of show,” she suggested before she dug her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders when Derek nibble at her neck and grazed the skin with his stubble.

“Something like Siegfried and Roy?” he suggested playfully and Jennifer giggled underneath him before he silenced her with his lips again.

“Yeah, something like that,” she said, and Derek was already moving to pull away from her so they could dress, but his wife slung her legs around his hips and pulled him back onto her body. “But not now,” she said and smiled up to him. “There is something I like to do first.”

 

xXx

 

It was already noon when they got out of their room and into the hot sun of Las Vegas. Even now that they were in public it didn't stop Derek from touching her. He had always one hand wrapped around her waist, her shoulder or simply took her hand, interlacing their fingers. He had to show the whole world that she was his, and nobody else'.

His heart swelled every time he looked at her. A smile seemed to be carved into her face, and she was sometimes downright _beaming_ at the world. She was practically glowing with happiness, and Derek was mesmerized by the way the soft curls of her hair were reflecting the sun or how the wind was playing with her yellow sundress. She was like his own personal source of light.

At first they have had a late lunch at the hotel's restaurant outside by the pools, and both of them had wolfed it down without appreciating the taste, mostly because they've had no breakfast, but also because they wanted to get going as soon as possible. Afterwards they had walked down the Strip, watching street performers and eying all the famous buildings and places others only got to see on the screen. They've stopped at the Bellagio, watching how the fountain in front of them was shooting water into the air and how the droplets created little rainbows that vanished again after a few seconds.

They were oblivious to the other people mulling around them. They walked past casinos and hotels, just content to be with each other. Derek knew that Las Vegas probably wasn't the best place to spend their honeymoon, but for the moment he was content with the situation, trying to make the best out of it by pulling his newly wed wife into fancy restaurants and into theaters and magic shows, swearing to himself that he would go onto a _real_ honeymoon with her some when. They had all the time in the world now.

And at night, when they came back to their hotel room, they screwed like rabbits. He hadn't thought that the sex could get any more mind blowing than it already was before, but just like her kisses the prospect of being the only being on the planet who would ever make and see her come was kicking it up a notch. He was sure that, if Jennifer wouldn't be on birth control he would have knocked her up for sure at least now, if not earlier already. Not that he would mind, but after only two month and no steady home it wasn't the best time for a baby.

Until the time was right, though, they would need to practice.

 

xXx

 

As much as Derek never wanted to come back to the real world ever again and just stay in this happy little bubble of theirs they were soon on the road again. But this time they were moving with a little more purpose.

They quickly moved out of Nevada, quite sure that they didn't want to spend their lives in the dry desert of that particular state or any other states east or south – east of it. Too much heat and too little vegetation that didn't look like it was going to wither and spontaneously inflame itself any given second. Not to forget that Derek got quite cranky in the heat, and neither he nor Jennifer particularly wanted to endure that for longer than necessary.

They drove back to California, and both of them felt more comfortable when they were met with green forests again, which led them further north and up to Oregon. None of them wanted to live in a crowded town like Vegas or San Francisco, so they decided to avoid the main cities like Portland and Eugene to rather settle down in one of the smaller towns that lay in between the numerous valleys and in the forests that grew thicker the closer they got to the coast.

Whenever they came to a town they drove through the suburban areas, through the city and where most of the business was located to get themselves a thorough picture of the place. Jennifer in particular looked for job offerings, but now that they were in the middle of the school year it was hard for her to come up with a place at one of the local High Schools.

Derek on the other hand was looking for a place close to the forests. He didn't quite know how to explain it, but the wolf inside him had changed. He had always boasted himself with his good grip on his feral side, but this control had slipped since a while now, and whenever the full moon was approaching he felt irritated and particularly violent. He felt how his instincts were threatening to break free from under his skin like they did when he was a child and hadn't known how to restrain himself with an anchor, and it scared him. He didn't know what caused it, and he didn't know how to fix it, but he wanted to make sure that he was able to get away from Jennifer and every other human being as fast as possible when he really lost his grip on his wolf one day, hence the forest.

But the next full Moon was still more than a week away, and he was confident that he wouldn't lose his grip on his wolf for now. It would get quite messy in the confines of the car if he did, and he would never forgive himself if he hurt Jennifer. He didn't think he could bear it. His heart became heavy when he was only thinking about it.

“Derek, are you all right?” he heard Jennifer asking beside him, and he snapped out of his dark thoughts. He heard the cars behind him already honking, and he hurried to shift the gear and drive over the crossroad, the traffic light behind him already turning red again.

“Yeah, just got lost in my thoughts,” Derek answered her question without going into too much detail. He didn't want to worry her. But it seemed that he already forgot how well his wife knew him already after this short time.

“It's the full moon, isn't it?” she dug deeper, and his sigh was answer enough for her. “It's fine. I already guessed that the moon isn't easy for you.”

“That's not it,” Derek countered after he took a turn. “I was fine every month for years now, but something changed.” He stopped in his explanation, searching for the right words to describe his problem. “I don't now _what_ , but my wolf, my instincts, are not like they used to be, and I don't know how to handle that. It's like I have to learn how to control it all over again.”

He sighed, but when he felt Jennifer's hand covering his on the gear selector, the metal of her wedding ring cool against his skin, he relaxed a little. When he looked at her she was smiling. “We'll figure it out,” she said confidently, and Derek couldn't help himself but smile back, although he didn't feel so convinced himself.

He carried on holding her hand whenever he could while he drove through the streets of yet another small town. It was the umpteenth one they drove through, and all the previous ones either didn't appeal them, or the local High School didn't need another English teacher, though most of them lacked both aspects. Somehow it was quite frustrating.

When Derek looked to his right again while they stood at a red light he saw his wife staring longingly out of the window. He followed her gaze, and he wasn't surprised to see her looking at a school, students streaming out of it and mingling around on the parking lot, eager to get home. He squeezed her hand.

“You know that you don't have to work,” he said when they were driving again. “I can provide for both of us quite well.”

“I know,” Jennifer said, but she still sounded unhappy.

“Then what is it?”

Jennifer sighed and rested her forehead against the glass of the window, tilting her head a little to chase the school in the side mirror. “I know that I don't need to work, but I _want_ to.” She straightened again when they took another turn, looking at him. “I always wanted to become a teacher. I like teaching others about the things I love, to elate others about the things that elate me. I don't want to do it because of the money, but for _me_. Not to forget that I would feel quite useless and impossibly lazy just sitting in whatever home we'll get and doing nothing.”

Derek smiled at her explanation and squeezed her hand again to show her he understood. They drove on in quietly after that, both of them following their own thoughts. He really wanted Jennifer to be happy, no matter if it meant that he had to put his own wishes after hers. He would even live next to a dumpster if she wanted to... Well, maybe he would try to argue with her, but if she really _really_ wanted to he wouldn't be able to deny her.

“Derek, stop!” Jennifer suddenly shouted, and harder than necessary Derek stepped on the break. He could hear them creaming in protest and could smell the rubber of the stopping tires. Did he overrun a child? Or a squirrel?

With wide eyes he turned towards her, his heart in his throat while some cars were honking behind him and began to pass him by . “What-”

“Do you see that?” she interrupted him before he could even form a sentence. Derek could honestly say he was confused. See what? With a still heavily beating heart he followed her mesmerized glaze out of the window to their right.

Behind a low, dark green hedge stood a house, half covered by the trees that were lining the street. Two conifers were flanking a dark blue door, a stark contrast to the white paneling and the white lantern hanging over the frame. The windows were empty and the equally blue shutters were left open. A garage was attached to the left side while a winter garden was stretching on the right of the house, and when Derek focused his eyesight he could see through the windows on both sides and into the vast garden in the back. But that weren't the things Jennifer was looking at. His wife was looking at the 'For Sale' sign that has been stuck into the lush green lawn of the front garden.

Derek was just happy that the house wasn't beside a dumpster.  


	7. There And Back Again

Daunton Valley was a small town close to Interstate 5 and the eponym of the Daunton Valley Preserve. With 57 812 inhabitants it was close to Beacon Hills in size, but different with the main-income of the city. While Beacon Hills' main source of income were trade and financial companies, Daunton Valley earned most of it's money from forestry industry due to the vast forests surrounding the city. The largest employer in town was Daunton Forest Products and the Daunton Valley Medical Center at second place, with a unemployment rate of 14 percent. It had a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and very dry, warm summers. Average high in June was 76 degrees, and the average low in December was 36 degree.

Derek had gathered all this information as soon as it was clear that they were moving into this particular town, so practically as soon as Jennifer's eyes had settled on the 'For Sale' sign on the front lawn of the house. He had wanted to know where he would live the next couple of years, if not decades. But no research, no source of wisdom could have prepared him for what was yet to come.

“No no **no**! A little more to the _left_ , Derek!” Jennifer sighed in exasperation while she stood with her back to the window and directed her husband through what was supposed to be the living room.

Derek suppressed a roll of his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself while he counted to ten. All morning he was already moving the god forsaken couch from one end of the room to the other, and every single time Jennifer had at least _one_ reason to make him shove the damn thing into the opposite corner. Why was it so hard to put a little furniture into a room?!

But Derek restrained himself. He wouldn't say a word, not when he knew that it wouldn't help his cause anyway. Biting his tongue to keep his mouth shut he tensed his muscles and began to push the couch a little further. If he were not a werewolf but any other guy he would have already been exhausted to death, but even he had started to sweat some time ago.

“Stop! Perfect!” Jennifer exclaimed, and with a grateful huff Derek sank down to the ground. When he moved into an apartment in New York with Laura after the fire it hadn't been half as hard to move in. They had chosen some second hand furniture and put them in. Done.

“All right, next are the armchairs,” Jen said cheerfully, and Derek groaned in misery. “Don't act like a baby. You're the one with the freaky werewolf power,” she said, resting her hands on her hips and looking down on him accusingly. It was the same look his mother had always given him when he came into the house covered in mud or something equally naughty. He sometimes wondered if women had to train for that look or if they were born with it. He was rooting for the ladder.

Derek hung his head in defeat before he stood up and made his way to the pile of chairs, cupboards, closets and tables the delivery service of the furniture store they had visited a couple of days ago had brought them just this morning. With an exasperated sigh he grabbed one of the two armchairs by it's back rest and looked up towards his wife. “Where to?”

 

xXx

 

Derek let himself fall down on the sofa. He immediately began to relax while he closed his eyes for a while, his beer momentarily forgotten in his hand. As much as he hated moving this thing around, he couldn't deny that it was far more comfortable than it looked.

He opened his eyes again and looked around the living room. Most of the things they have bought were already in, but some things like a carpet were still missing. The closets were still empty and the wall were blank, and although it didn't look quite as hollow as it did yesterday it still didn't look like a home yet.

He raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip of his beer while he sank a little further into the cushions. He already dreaded the moment the rest of the furniture came in, and he wasn't looking forward to carrying the massive bed they've chosen up the stairs. At the moment he and Jennifer were only sleeping on a mattress they have lain on the floor of their bedroom. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but not very romantic when he wanted to seduce his wife.

Alone the thought of her naked in bed made his blood sink into his lower regions. The full moon would be up in two days, and although his lust for his wife wasn't new his libido was far from normal during this time he had noticed. If he could he would fuck with her all day without pause, at least he would if she wouldn't order him around for hours.

His ears picked up the soft pad of footsteps behind him, and her scent was already engulfing him before she even stepped into the room. When he turned his head to look over his shoulder, though, he froze.

There inside the threshold stood Jennifer, with nothing covering her but a towel. A mischievous smile snaked it's way onto her face when she noticed how his eyes were wandering over her body, and with slow steps she circled the sofa to stand in front of him. His eyes were glued to her frame, and all of a sudden his pants became uncomfortably tight.

“I rather would have used a bathrobe, but we don't have one, so I had to improvise,” she said smiling, and with one swift movement the towel fell to the ground and pooled at her naked feet. He let his eyes roam over her flawless porcelain skin. Over her full breasts and the already erected pink nipples, over her slender waist, the curve of her hips and her long legs. And when he was done he let his eyes travel the whole way back up to her face to take it all in a second time.

She was still smiling when she stepped forward and grabbed the beer out of his hand and set it on the ground in front of the sofa. She rested her hands on his shoulders while she set her knees on either side of his legs on the couch, straddling his lab. As if on autopilot his hands settled on her hips while he craned his neck to look at her face. Her eyes were dark with lust and anticipation.

“I know I was a slave driver today,” Jennifer said, an apologetic look on her face before she wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I'm sorry,” she continued and leaned down to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist in return while he let her control the kiss, her tongue lazily running over his lips before she slipped it into his mouth.

She leaned forward and pressed her naked body against his torso while one hand run through his hair and messaged his scalp. He could feel her hard nipples against his chest through the fabric of his shirt, and if she hadn't noticed the bulge in his pants before she surely did now. He tilted his head further to deepen the kiss, his own tongue now exploring the wet heat of her mouth, and his hands were running over her back, ass and thighs.

When they pulled away to take a breath he latched onto her neck and let his tongue run over her jawline towards her ear where he pulled her earlobe between his teeth, the taste of her skin an echo on his tongue. Jennifer reached down and slid her hands under his shirt, her nails scratching over his abs and sides. Derek pulled away slightly when she grabbed the garment at the hem and pulled it over his head, but immediately leaned forward again to nibble at her collarbone. She arched her back when he mouthed his way towards her breasts, and she moaned when he run his tongue over one of her nipples before he began to suck on it, her hands pulling at his hair.

He tilted his hips upwards to grind against her center and to relief himself from some of the aching desire that was building in his groins. Jennifer's moans and gasps were filling the otherwise silent room, and Derek could smell how wet she already was when he turned towards the other nipple to give it the same treatment.

One of her hands reached down and began to fumble with his belt and to open his pants. The cool air that hit his throbbing cock was nearly a relief, but then Jennifer was rubbing herself against the length of him, and a groan escaped his lips. He grabbed her hips tightly while she ground against him, leaning his head against the backrest of the couch and closing his eyes at the sensation, the heat of her center and the wetness that coated his cock nearly unbearable.

He felt her fingers grabbing his shaft, and when he looked back at her she was guiding him to her entrance. He could feel her heat the the tip of his cock, and he just wanted to bury himself inside her. He didn't have to wait long when Jennifer began to slowly settle down on him. Her hot velvet walls were engulfing him, and he knew that she would have bruises on her hips from his fingers the next morning so hard were his digits digging into her skin. He bucked his hips up towards hers and sheathed himself inside her to the hilt, not able to wait any longer.

Her guttural moan filled his ears, and when he opened his eyes Jennifer had thrown her head back and ached her back, exposing her neck. Derek could nearly hear the blood that was flowing through her veins, and how the way she was exposing her throat in submission made his instincts crawl underneath his skin. He leaned forward and latched onto her throat, his teeth gazing over the skin and gently biting down.

Jen's hips rolled against his, and Derek let out an animalistic growl. She had fisted her hands in his hair when she slowly began to ride him, her wall squeezing around him every so often when he nibbled and bit at her neck and breasts, and really every piece of skin he could reach. He began to tilt his hips to meet her every time she was sinking down on him, and his hands grabbed her ass to urge her on.

She was everything he could think of. How her mouth hang open while she panted in pleasure, her plum lips when she moaned his name. Her breasts were bouncing right in front of his face whenever he thrust up to meet her swiveling hips, and her hair was sticking to her flushed face due to the sweat that covered her whole body.

This was different. He could feel it. It was different than any other time they had been with each other. He could feel it in his guts, and it had nothing to do with how desperately he wanted to come inside her. It was like a force that gathered under his skin and just came closer to leaping out with every thrust.

Derek gritted his teeth and pounded up into her. Jennifer cried out and scratched her nails over his shoulders, small droplets of blood dripping down his back. His heart nearly stopped in his chest and his vision went red when he felt her clenching hard around his cock.

Derek's mind went completely blank, and without thinking or caring he gripped her waist and flipped her around before he pressed her into the sofa. Like a man possessed he began to pound into her, the sound of skin slapping against skin obscene in the room.

Everything was different. Everything was so much more _intense_. He could make out every little noise in the room, every sound they made while he fucked Jennifer into the cushions, how every little hair on her body scraped against the fabric and how the content of the cushions shifted inside them and against each other. He could smell Jennifer, but not only her arousal. He could smell the pheromones and every other little hormone that was running through her body, the chemical scent of her birth control she had taken this morning, the scent of her nail polisher and the detergent of her clothes mixed with her own personal scent.

And the sensation. God, the _sensation_!

His heart was nearly bursting in his chest, his balls already hurting with his indescribable desire to just _come_ , to fill her with his seed. He could feel his eyes turning red, could feel his fangs already tugging at his gum and his claws spreading out of his fingers. He clenched his hands into fists, the sharp nails painfully digging into his palms while he tried to stay in control.

But he was fighting a losing battle. It was like a vicious circle. The closer he came to his release the more he lost the grip on his wolf, and the more he lost control the closer he got. Again he could feel Jennifer clenching her walls around his cock, and a second later he spilled into her with a roar, his balls tightening with every spurt he shot into his wife.

Derek wanted to bite her. He _needed_ to bit her. All of his instincts screamed at him to do it, to sink his teeth into her soft flesh and to make her one of his kind, to turn her. Wave after wave of mind blowing pleasure swept over him, and with a deep growl that was far from human he bit down on his own fist.

Blood was filling his mouth, but the pain of where his fangs ripped his skin apart didn't stop him from riding out his orgasm. Just when he thought he would get a heart attack, he began to calm down, his desire spend and his brain picking up it's functions again. Void of any strength his arms gave out underneath him and he fell down, his lungs desperate to take in the necessary oxygen while he shifted back. He felt as if his whole life essence had flown out of him, and his eyelids were heavy with fatigue as all his muscles trembled from the exhaustion.

When he felt gentle hands running over his back and caressing through his hair, though, he was wide awake. Startled and worried he raised himself up on his elbows again, looking down at his wife. What if he scared her? What if he _hurt_ her? He would never forgive himself if his lack of control had caused her harm. It was inexcusable.

But his worries were unnecessary. Jennifer was looking up at him, a satisfied albeit tired smile gracing her sweat slicked face. But when she noticed his scared look her brows furrowed in concern. “Is everything alright?”

Derek only sighed in relief and closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. Her hands continued to caress his back and hair soothingly, and Derek was just glad that he hadn't hurt her, or worse, _bit_ her. When he opened his eyes again Jennifer was still looking at him worriedly.

“I was just worried that I hurt you,” Derek admitted and raised a hand to cup her cheek, but thought better of it when he saw the blood that covered his palm from where his claws had dig into them in his ecstasy, so he instead caressed her face with his knuckles.

Jen's brows furrowed again, though this time in confusion, before it dawned on her. “It's the full moon, right?” she asked with wide eyes, and Derek nodded. “Oh Derek, I'm so sorry! I didn't-”

“Don't,” Derek interrupted her. “You didn't know that I would lose control, and neither did I. Now we do, and we have to be more careful.” He bent down and kissed her, and after a second she melted into it, her body pressing up against his. He broke the kiss sooner than he would have liked when he felt how his instincts were beginning to stir again. He didn't want to push his luck any further this night.

With still trembling muscles he stood up and pulled Jennifer up with him before he led her up the stairs, steadying her own wobbly legs whenever she threatened to fall, his beer long forgotten beside the couch. He shoved them both into the shower to clean them up before he lay her gently onto the mattress on the floor of their bedroom. Her eyes were already half closed in sleep, and when he rested himself next to her and pulled the covers over their bodies she snuggled into his side and was dead to the world.

While Derek held her in his arms and listened to her slow and even breathing he just hoped that he would be able to get a grip on his wolf again, otherwise he didn't know what he would do. To Jennifer or to other people. Because, as far as he could see, it was getting worse.


	8. The Wild Side

Derek was pacing through the house ever since he woke up. He didn't stay in one room for very long, always moving somewhere else, always trying to avoid Jennifer. He felt restless, his body buzzing with energy, and his nerves were ready to snap. Whenever he heard a sudden sound in the house or outside he flinched, his claws growing out of his fingers and his fangs tugging at his lips on reflex.

All day he has heard Jennifer walking through the house, pans and pots clacking in the kitchen, chairs shoving over the floor and the water running through the pluming whenever she opened faucet or flushed the toilette. It was nerve wracking, but it also helped him to not cross her path. And he was ever grateful that she didn't try to seek him out. He didn't know how he would react to her, and he didn't want to play with her life.

But at one point, when the sun was already beginning to set, there was this noise from downstairs, something so annoying and obnoxious that it made the nails on his toes curl and his teeth grinding together. But it didn't stop after the first time. Over and over again it was vibrating through the whole house, and Derek couldn't stand it. All he wanted to do was to go down and make it STOP!

With a snarl he jumped up from where he had sat on the floor of one of the (yet) unused rooms upstairs, ripping the door nearly out of its hinges when he opened it. He was fuming when he stomped down the stairs, taking two at a time before he made the turn and stood in the door frame of the living room.

Jennifer was standing in the middle of the room, her eyes wide in shock and a hand on her chest, clenching her sweater while the other hand was resting on the backrest of the armchair.

But the armchair wasn't where Derek has left it. The armchair was standing four feet from where he had put it the other day. Four feet from where Jennifer had wanted it to stand. Four fucking feet!

With an angry snarl that showed his elongated teeth he took a step forward, all of his muscles tense with unbelievable anger. “Isn't it enough that I shoved this god damn armchair through the whole house to get it where you wanted it to be?!” he asked, his voice low, a growl escaping his chest while he spoke. Jennifer's eyes widened even more and she even took a step back in response of him coming closer. The hand resting on the backrest went to the other one on her chest, clenching them together to stop them from shaking. Derek could smell the sharp odor of fear in the air.

“Derek-” she began to say, but she jumped in shock when he interrupted her.

“Obviously not!” Derek snarled. He could feel the sharp burn of his eyes turning a bleeding red and how his claws were tugging on the skin of his palm while he clenched his hands to fists. He growled deep in his throat, a sound that vibrated through his whole body while he took another step forward, and another. Jennifer was backing away, her back hitting the mantelpiece of the fireside. Her whole body started to shake.

Derek reveled in it, took a deep breath to take in the fear filling the room. All he wanted was to sink his claws into her, fell her hot blood flowing over his hands, painting his skin. He wanted to make her beg for his forgiveness. He wanted to make her regret what she did. Regret that she made him move all this stupid furniture around the other day. Regret that she made all this annoying noises during the day that drove him mad. Regret that she moved that mother fucking armchair!

And then the smell of fear got a salty, sad note to it, and sobs and whimpers filled the room. Through the haze of his blood lust he saw the woman in front of him crying, tears streaming down her face while she tried to press herself more and more into the wall behind her, trying to make herself as small as possible.

And then he realized that this was not just a woman. She was his wife.

And she was terrified of him, looking at him as if he wanted to kill her.

And his blood froze in his veins when he realized that she was right, that he really wanted to kill her. Bile rose in his throat, and the breath was caught in his throat.

He had to get out. He had to get away, as soon as possible. Frantically he looked around himself, already feeling the grip on his frail sanity slipping away. His eyes landed on the glass door to the garden, ajar in its hinges, and without another thought he dashed towards it. He pushed it open when he leaped through and onto the porch in the back, not slowing in his mad dash into the woods behind their house.

Twigs and branches whipped him in the face and broke his skin, his clothes ripping whenever they got caught on a bush or the underwood, but nothing of that, not even the cold air of the coming evening, was able to ground him again. His flesh felt hot, ready to melt off his bones, and with every step he took his muscles tensed more and more and screamed in agony. His lungs were burning as if they were shrinking, and his heart was beating so fast it felt ready to explode. His skin was itching like crazy, and it took all of his willpower to not scratch it off to make it stop.

The sun was slowly disappearing behind the tree tops and with the passing light the itching and burning was intensifying tenfold. Thousands of ants were crawling under his skin, and his organs were setting themselves on fire.

He felt his grip on his shift slip further and further away, and the further gone he was the more he lost control over his body. He felt nauseous, as if his stomach was turning, his windpipe shrinking and his head imploding.

The night was falling down, and Derek was still running. Through the haze in his mind he saw a spark in the corner of his vision, and when he was hit by the first rays of moonlight he just couldn't bear it any longer.

Growling he stopped in his tracks, the air burning in his lungs while he ran his claws over his heated and itching skin. He felt the scratch of his elongated nails, but it brought him no satisfaction. Violently he pulled at his skin, his arms, his chest, his stomach, his thighs and calves. His clothes ripped to bloody shreds, his claws breaking the skin to just make it stop itching. Everything was better than this god damn itching!

When his first bone broke he just barely suppressed a howl of pain. He fell to the ground when his shin broke, and the other soon joined the first, followed by every single other bone in his body. His ribs and arms broke and shifted under his bloody skin, his joints popped out of their sockets, and his organs were ripping themselves apart before they grew back together somewhere else in his abdominal cavity while the rest of his skin was peeling off his changing flesh.

And all the while he lay whimpering and writhing on the ground, the pain raging inside him too great to let out a proper scream. It felt like days before he came back to his proper senses, the pain ebbing away and only leaving a dull shadow that tingled at his oversensitive nerves.

When he opened his eyes it was dark, the last bit of sun vanished for the night. The full moon was standing high in the sky, its light bright enough to illuminate the dark forest.

But something was wrong. No, not really wrong, just weirdly different. When Derek tried to stand up he noticed it.

He didn't have two legs. He had four.

Frantically he looked at himself, or at least tried to, but the best he could see was a long muzzle in his field of vision and a body covered in black fur when he turned his head around. The body of a wolf.

Derek's heart was beating heavily in his chest, his mind trying to wrap around this new development. His mother had been a full wolf, Laura has been, too, and even Peter had had shifted beyond a human, but all the time Derek hadn't thought that he would be able to do the same as well. It had just never occurred to him.

He took a few deep calming breathes through his nose, taking in the smell of the forest, the moisture and the rotting leaves, the bark and the earth. It was calming. In fact he felt calmer than he had felt in months, ever since he became an Alpha.

Maybe it had been bothering him all this time. Maybe he had felt so on edge since months because his body wanted to shift completely, but hasn't been able to. Maybe now he could because something had triggered it. And maybe this something had to do with Jennifer. Since he knew her he felt good, complete, as if he had finally found the part of him that had been missing inside all along, and this new wholeness was what finally made him turn.

But it didn't help him thinking about the 'why' and 'how'. He was a wolf now, and now he had to get through the night without his instincts taking over. He could already feel how the wolf inside him tried to take the upper hand, the pull of the moon bringing it to the surface. But he quickly thought of Jennifer, his sweet and loving wife, of the way her hair smelled when he buried his nose in it or the sound of her voice when she called his name.

But instead the salty odor of tears controlled his sense of smell, and instead of a beaming smile he could only see a face twisted in fear and horror.

Derek had wanted to kill Jennifer.

Would Derek was still be human he would have to sit down, but now he only lay back down into the underwood, a pitiful whine escaping his throat and echoing in the otherwise silent air of the forest. He wanted to go back – run back as fast as he could – and comfort Jennifer, to gather her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to keep her save and protected so nothing could ever harm her. He wanted to brush her tears away and tell her she wouldn't have to be scared anymore, that he was with her and he would protect her.

But he couldn't. He was the reason she had been in danger. She had been scared of him. And knowing that made his heart bleed.

Derek growled low in his throat at the thought, of what he would have done to Jennifer. He wanted to claw and bite at his flesh, smash his head against the next tree until his skull broke, because nothing was worse than hurting his wife, his Jennifer, the only family he had, the person he loved more than anything else in the world.

He would have to stay away for the night. He didn't know what would happen during this full moon, and he didn't want to risk Jennifer's life even further. He would have to see if it got better in the morning, if his instincts and his temper would settle down when the sun rose again. And it wasn't as if he could turn back to human, at least not in the moment by the look of it. He tried to concentrate, to shift back like he always did since he was a child, but it was as if the moon was pulling too strong on his powers at the moment, and he was unable to counteract it.

With a huff Derek stood up again and did a few tentative steps. He growled a little when he noticed that he was still partly stuck in his torn clothes, and he tried to wiggle out of them as good as he could. His effort was rewarded with a loss of balance which made him fall ungracefully on the ground again. He was just grateful that nobody was here to see him. Not only out of embarrassment, but also because they would probably shoot him, or call Animal Control.

When he was free of the offending fabric he shook out his fur before he held his nose in the air and sniffed to make sure that really no one was there to see him, and no one he could possibly hurt. When he was sure that he was all alone he began to walk around a little, his legs still a little wobbly from the unfamiliar use, but also from exhaustion. His body still hummed with pain from his previous ordeal, and he just wanted some place to lie down, rest and wait until the night was over.

Derek strode around the area a little, and eventually he found an uprooted tree, the space between the wood, the roots and the ground providing a certain amount of shelter. He walked back to his discarded clothes and gathered them in his muzzle and carried them to the tree. He placed them under it and settled down on them, his head resting on his front paws, alert but tired, listening to the sounds of the forest.

He deserved it. He deserved the loneliness, the cold and the pain. In fact, he deserved even worse. He had nearly hurt Jennifer. He had nearly killed Jennifer.

Again a whine left his throat, and shame and guilt settled heavy in his stomach and made him sick. She was probably packing her things by now and left the house. She was probably so scared of him that she would never want to see him ever again.

A part of him even wanted Jennifer to leave. A part of Derek wanted her to run away as fast as possible and never see her again. Because everyone around him keeps getting hurt, and that was the last thing he wanted for her. He wanted her to be save, and he just couldn't provide this protection. It was better when she was as far away from him as possible.

How could he have been so foolish? How could he think that, for once in his life, there was something good, something that stayed? It had been wishful thinking on his part, and naivety on Jennifer's. Everything he touched was going to waist, and everyone he knew and loved was getting hurt, and it was his fault.

Everything was his fault.

Paige died by his hands. His family was killed because of his foolishness. Laura died because he didn't tell her the truth, because he had been such a coward. Peter lost his mind because of him, and his blood, too, was covering his hands. The bite ruined Scott's normal teenager life, and Jackson's too, and numerous people had to die because of him _him_  HIM!

How could he have thought that he deserved something good? Someone like Jennifer? He was a complete and utter fool.

Exhaustion eventually claimed him, but his dreams were everything but restful. He kept seeing Jennifer, how he ripped her throat out and watched her bleed out on the floor. He kept seeing the pain and fear and betrayal in her slowly dying eyes before he began to rip her to shreds until there was nothing left of her, until she was completely gone, nothing but another painful memory.

Derek awoke with a jolt, his now very human skin covered in cold sweat. His whole body was shaking while he tried to calm his rapid beating heart, the images of his dream still vivid in his mind, and he had to look down on his hands and body to make sure that he was really only covered in sweat and not blood. He did see some blood, but is has already dried and was but his own from when he had scratched at his skin when he had shifted.

He closed his eyes when he realized that everything had just been a dream and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, heaving a heavy breath to calm himself. When he opened them again he noted that it was still early morning and that the sun had barely risen over the horizon, still hidden by the tree tops. The air was chilly, and Derek began to shiver when a cold wind was blowing over his moist skin.

He crawled out of his little hiding place and looked ruefully at his clothes he has been lying on. They were nothing but torn pieces of fabric. He couldn't possibly wear them anymore, not that they would have offered any kind of protection against the cold. He just bent down and gathered them up, hoping that nobody of his new neighborhood was fond of early morning walks through the woods.

Mindful of the underwood scratching and cutting his skin he walked back to the house after he found his wedding ring lying somewhere under fallen leaves where he had shifted, following the way he had taken the night when he had run away like a madman.

The closer he got the heavier the stone got that had settled in his stomach. He didn't really want to go home. He didn't want to come home to an empty house, a house that Jennifer left hours ago.

But before he could make the decision to stay away the house was already coming into view. The back door onto the porch in the garden still stood open, just like he left it. Just like Jennifer must have left it when she left. Dread was weighing down his steps, and with trepidation he walked up to the glass door and walked into the living room.

He let his clothes fall down somewhere on the ground before he heard the other heartbeat in the next room. His throat was tight when he walked to the archway of the living room and looked across the hall into the dining room.

Jennifer was sitting on one of the chairs, a cold cup of coffee in front of her, biting her thumb nail like she always did when she was nervous or worried. She looked terrible. Her hair was a mess as if she had run her hand through it for a thousand times. She still wore the clothes from the last evening, the clothes he had wanted to kill her in. Dark rings hung under her red and puffy eyes, as if she hadn't slept but cried all night, and her forehead was winkled in worry.

When she noticed Derek she stood up abruptly, the chair scraping over the floor and nearly falling over from the sudden movement. But instead of backing away from him she just stood there and looked at him, as if she wasn't sure what to do. She raised her hand tentatively, as if she wanted to touch him over the space between them. “Derek,” she said, and her voice was hoarse from disuse and sobbing. He could still smell the faint odor of tears on her skin. “Are you all right?”

Derek wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. The evening before he had wanted to rip her throat out, and she was asking him if he was all right?!

“Derek, why are you naked? And where does the blood come from? What happened?” she asked next, and again her forehead furrowed, this time with confusion.

Derek didn't answer. Derek wanted to be the one who asked the questions. Why she was still here, why she wasn't scared of him, why she worried about him, why she didn't seem to hate him. He covered his eyes with a hand and tried to get the mixture of emotions that raged inside him under control. Confusion, shame, guilt, adoration, love, gratefulness, a little anger and incomprehension.

He startled a little when he felt warm and gentle fingers brushing over his forearm and shoulder, and when he lowered his hand he saw Jennifer standing in front of him, biting her lower lip. She looked him over with concern and fear, but she wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid for him.

“I'm so sorry,” Derek blurted out, not able to keep it in any longer. His voice was hoarse and thick from the tears that threatened to spill out ever since he lay underneath that tree. He just wanted to wrap his arms around Jennifer and hold her close and never let her go again. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg for the forgiveness he knew he didn't deserve.

But before he could do any of that Jennifer had already walked up to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. One hand was resting on the back of his head, and she pulled his head into the crook of her neck. Immediately Derek pulled her against his body and buried his nose in her hair, taking a deep breath of her scent, a scent he nearly never got to smell ever again.

“Oh god, I'm so sorry,” he sobbed into her shoulder, not able to hold back the tears. Jennifer made little shushing noises while her hand rubbed over his back, rocking them gently from side to side as if she was comforting a child.

As much as Derek wanted to tell her how sorry he was, how terrified he had been that he had hurt her, scared her, how guilty he felt, everything he could do was cry into her arms.

At one point he feared that he was smashing her to his body with the way he clung to her, but Jennifer didn't show any sign of discomfort or pain, so he just went on. He felt her steady heartbeat against his chest, could feel the warmth of her body and hear how she was whispered reassuring things into his ear, things like 'You didn't know what you were doing', 'It was the full moon' and that he didn't hurt her, that he had been able to control himself before he did.

Derek didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve her. But he was a selfish individual with too little self–control to let her go, and he hated himself a little for it, but it made him fall in love with her a little deeper than he already was, because Jennifer was staying with him and didn't leave him like everyone else in is life did.

“What happened?” Jennifer gently whispered into his ear, one hand still rubbing over his back while the other ran through the hair on the back of his head.

Derek has calmed down from his break down and relaxed into her touch, his eyes already closing in exhaustion, from the ordeals of the previous night, his nightmare and now all this, too.

“How about I tell you after we slept a little?” he suggested when he raised his head off her shoulder, taking a last deep breath of her scent before he looked her in the eyes.

Jennifer held his gaze, and although Derek could see the curiosity and worry in her gray-blue eyes she nodded and took a step back. Derek already missed the warmth of her body before she took his hand and led him upstairs. “But we get a shower first. You look like you've wallowed in the underwood.”

Derek grunted in amusement, too tired to do something else while he led himself get pulled towards the bathroom. Jennifer consigned him into the shower and turned on the water for him before she undressed herself and stepped into the stall with him. He let her rub the dirt and blood off his skin while his tense and aching muscles relaxed under the hot spray.

He must have dozen off for a little, because when he opened his eyes Jennifer had turned the shower off and pulled him out. They toweled themselves off before they went to the bedroom. They didn't bother to put on some clothes before they slipped under the covers of the bed that was still a simple mattress on the ground.

Derek wrapped his arms around Jennifer and pulled her against his body. He needed to feel that she was still there and whole and living, and Jennifer didn't complain when she rested her head on his shoulder before she wrapped her arms around his torso. As if she, too, needed the reassurance that he was still there with her.

It only took seconds for Derek to fall asleep, but this time he didn't have a nightmare. Instead he had a deep and dreamless sleep, and the only thing he could remember was the lingering scent of his wife.


	9. That's Life, Honey

Silently Jennifer and Derek sat at their table, she at the head and he to her right. The atmosphere was thick in the room, but none of them wanted to be the first to speak. When they woke up it has been late afternoon, and the sun was already setting again. They have slept away the day, but none of them had been hungry. They have just settled with coffee in the dining room where they have been ever since, quiet.

Derek was staring at his mug, consistently looking up and seeing Jennifer watching him, patiently waiting for him to start peaking, to start explaining what happened last night.

Derek cleared his throat. "Do you remember when I told you that my mother was able to turn into a wolf completely?" he started, observing his wife from underneath his brows. Jennifer gave a nod, her eyes still fixed at him.

"My sister Laura could do it, too, and although Peter was a sick and twisted individual he, too, had at least a part of this ability. When I became an Alpha I didn't think I could do it, though. Except for the power boost there was nothing different than before. But, last night..."

"You turned into a wolf?" Jennifer finished his sentence, and Derek nodded. “Is that the reason why the full moons have been so difficult for you?”

“I don't know. Maybe,”Derek sighed and rubbed a hand over his face and shrugged. “I actually hope so, because then maybe it will be easier from now on.”

Jennifer reached over the table and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Derek looked from their joined hands towards her face and saw her smiling reassuringly at him, her eyes full of warmth and confidence.

Again he felt like he didn't deserve her (which he really didn't). He raised their hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'm sorry," he murmured against her skin, and he could hear Jennifer sigh in frustration.

"Listen, Derek. You don't need to apologize. It wasn't-"

"But it _was_ my fault," Derek interrupted her. "I knew that I had slippery control over my powers. I should have gone into the woods, I could-"

"Stop!" Jennifer nearly yelled, and Derek silenced, a little shocked about her outburst. Jennifer's brows were furrowed and her whole face a grim mask of angry frustration and determination. "Stop blaming yourself for everything that happens. It wasn't your fault. It. Wasn't. Your. Fault. And if you say that only one more time I swear I will STRANGLE you!"

Derek huffed in amusement, but inside he just wanted to curl around Jennifer, wanted to hold her and get held in return. He wanted this ugly feeling of guilt and shame inside of him to disappear, and although he had wanted to beg Jennifer for forgiveness he never thought that she would have granted it so willingly like she just did.

Even more, she said that there wasn't even something that needed forgiveness.

With a sigh Jennifer let go of his hand and cupped his face instead before she leaned towards him and kissed him on the mouth. As soon as her lips met his Derek began to relax. Not even twenty-four hours ago he has thought he would never get to kiss her ever again.

Almost desperately he buried one of his hands in her hair to keep her close, his lips moving against hers, reveling in her taste and the feeling of her. Too soon for his liking they parted again, but Derek still held her close and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he said, and when he opened his eyes he saw Jennifer gently smiling at him.

"I know. I love you, too."

Just when he wanted to dive in for another kiss he heard several pairs of footsteps coming up to their house, and he haltered in his movement. Jennifer looked at him confused, and when she opened her mouth to ask him what was the matter the door-bell went off, and both of them whipped their heads towards the front door.

They looked at each other in confusion. They've barely lived a week in this house, and none of them knew anybody in this town, so who was in front of their door?

A sinking feeling went through Derek's body. What if they have settled in a town with resident hunters? There were stranger things than hunters ringing the door-bell. Maybe they saw him the other night in the woods and followed him? Or maybe it was the Alpha-Pack? Maybe now that he and Jen have settled down they knew where to find him and now wanted to wipe him out?

Derek swallowed hard and stood up, his whole body tense and ready for action while he went to the door. He took a deep breath before he turned the knob, his eye fixed on what- or whoever stood on the other side.

To say he was surprised was an understatement.

Five people stood in front of him, three men and two women. One of the women was small and chubby with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The other one was small, with blond hair that had an odd tint to it (surely dyed) and her skin too brown for that kind of hair color. She looked fit, though. She had to work out regularly.

One of the men stood behind the chubby one. He was tall and skinny, with hair slicked to one side of his head. The other two men stood beside each other. One of them was broad and muscular, spotting a thick beard. He had an arm slung around the other, slightly smaller man with gentle eyes.

All of them were smiling happily at Derek, none of them having any weapons on their body Derek could detect. He could neither smell the oil and gunpowder of weapons, nor did he see any hidden knifes under their clothes.

This still left the question who this people were and what they wanted. They didn't look as if they were Jehova’s Witnesses.

"Hi," the chubby woman addressed him, dragging the syllable while she waved at Derek with a toothy grin, showing the dimples in her cheek. "We are your new neighbors." Again she was dragging the last syllable.

Derek heard footsteps behind him, and when he turned his head a little he saw Jennifer coming out of the dining room and joining him at the door. She was smiling politely at their guests.

"I'm Caroline," the chubby woman said before she pointed at the man behind her. "And this is my husband James." James raised his hand in greeting, but when he opened his mouth to say something his wife already continued to introduce the rest of the group. "And this are Jesse," Caroline pointed at the other woman, "Henry," she pointed at the bearded guy, "and his partner Gary."

All of them raised their hands and waved at him and Jennifer, but Derek was a little confused at the situation. He normally didn't socialize with other people, not to forget that most people until now either didn't like him or wanted to kill him. Thank goodness he had Jennifer, though.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer, and this is my husband Derek," she said and patted Derek's chest  a little harder than necessary. Not that it bothered him, but he got the hint and began to smile at their new neighbors as well. After all he wanted to fit into society, and he didn't want to rouse the anger of his woman.

"How lovely!" Caroline cooed while she pushed her elbow into her own husband's abdomen. "Aren't they lovely James?"

"Yes, dear, they are," James answered dutifully, a pained expression on his face and an apologetic look in his eyes. Derek had to control himself to not raise a judgmental eyebrow.

"It's nice that someone lives in this house again," Gary said, looking as if he was happy to change the topic while Henry nodded eagerly beside him. "Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, the very old couple that has lived here before, has moved to a small apartment closer to the hospital. They just couldn't maintain a whole house any longer, and their way to medical attention was shorter."

"They were SO nice!" Caroline put in her two cents. She sighed heavily, as if she remembered something sad before she shook her head and clapped into her hands. "But we didn't come here to talk about the Pattersons! When we heard that someone is moving in here again we have started to organize a welcoming party for you, to welcome you into the neighborhood!" she exclaimed happily. Everyone else nodded and smiled politely, looking at Derek and Jennifer expectantly.

"That's so nice of you," Jennifer said, but Derek had to suppress the urge to raise his eyebrows again. Instead he plastered a toothy grin on his face. "Oh! Please come in! Just let us get dressed properly," his wife said and moved to the side. Derek opened the door a little further to make more room while his new neighbors stepped into the hallway.

"The furniture is not finished yet, but please take a seat and make yourself at home," Jennifer offered and pointed at the living and the dining room. "We won't take long."

She grabbed Derek's hand and began to pull him upstairs with her. When they were in their bedroom Jennifer immediately began to search through their clothes while she murmured quietly to herself.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Derek asked when he caught the pair of jeans and the henley she threw at him to replace his sweatpants and faded t-shirt.

"Of course! They seem very nice, and they went to the length to organize a party for us. It would be rude to decline. I want to make a good impression and maybe even make a few friends," Jennifer answered him before she pulled out pants and a sweater for herself and began to undress from her own baggy clothes.

"That's not what I mean," Derek said, his clothes still in hand. "I mean... What happened yesterday-"

Before he could continue Jennifer had put a finger to his lips to silence him. "We already talked about it not ten minutes ago. Everything's fine, or do you feel the need to sink your teeth into something?"

Derek narrowed his eyes at her jest. He really couldn't laugh about it. "No, but I wanted to last evening."

"But you don't do NOW, so everything's good." Jennifer sighed and moved her hand to cup his cheek like she did before in the dining room. "This little party will get your mind off of what happened yesterday. Just let us relax for tonight, and if you still want to talk about it then let us do it tomorrow, all right?"

Now it was Derek's turn to sigh. He still nodded, though, and after Jennifer gave him a quick kiss he began to change his clothes as well. After they put their shoes on they moved downstairs again.

Their new neighbors already waited for them. Derek grabbed Jennifer's jacket from the hook next to the door. It got rather chilly outside now that they weren't in California anymore and they were in the middle of autumn, but Henry stopped him.

"It's just across the street. So when you get bored you can easily get back home," he said. His partner Gary punched his arm at the remark, but Henry just smiled it off and opened the front door.

Derek could already hear numerous people talking in a house on the other side of the street. Music was gently playing in the background and he could see into a crowded living room through the window.

It surprised him how much sharper his senses now were. The jump from Beta to Alpha back then has been harsh but expected, but now it was as if something that had blocked his senses had plopped out, like a cork. As if only now he became a full Alpha.

“Everyone is _so_ eager to meet you,” Caroline rattled on. “Mrs. Hendricks is in charge of the cold buffet, and her cooking can only be described as delicious. Oh, she will _love_ you two! What am I saying?! _Everyone_ will love you.”

As soon as they entered the house Derek got overwhelmed by the scent of so many people in one place.

He hadn’t felt that way since he first went to kindergarten when he was four, his first real experience with other people than his family. Derek grabbed Jennifer’s hand a little tighter, and she squeezed right back and moved a little closer to his side.

Everyone was turning their heads into their direction when they came in, and groups of people immediately came up to them one after the other.

Derek and Jennifer shook hands left and right, and the flood of names made his head dizzy. He didn’t even try to remember all of them.

Of course Derek tried to be as friendly as humanly possible. He smiled, nodded in understanding and generally didn’t try to insult or murder anyone during the introductions.

Caroline pulled them along through every room on the ground floor, her own husband tagging along all the time with a sympathetic expression on his face, already used to his wives ‘enthusiasm’. They were led to the living area that was stuffed with most of their new neighbors and then towards the dining room in which the buffet was placed.

 An elderly woman stepped out of the kitchen, a large tray in her hands. She shushed everyone out of her way to the large dining table. Everything on it looked heavenly, and the hundreds of flavors and spices were stuck in Derek’s nose forever he believed.

“This is Mrs. Hendricks. You have to meet Mrs. Hendricks! Mrs. Hendricks?” Caroline called out, fighting her way through the crowd that gathered around the table to grab something to eat.

The old woman, Mrs. Hendricks, raised her head when she heard her name, and a smile erupted from her face when she saw the familiar and the new unfamiliar faces. She quickly came over to Derek and Jennifer after greeting Caroline with a hug.

“So you are the ones who moved into the old Patterson’s house,” Mrs. Hendricks more stated than asked while she looked them over, first Jennifer, then Derek. “Newly wed I presume?”

They nodded and immediately flinched when Mrs. Hendricks let out a shrill but delighted laughter before she pulled them both into a hug. After a few awkward second she released them again and quickly moved on to other people, chatting on about the _adorable_ new couple in the street.

“She loves weddings,” James helped them out from behind while Jennifer and Derek could only nod and stare.

No one tried to hug them after that (thankfully), but they somehow got separated. All of a sudden Derek found himself alone in the corner of the living room with a little girl hugging his leg like an octopus. When he looked down at her she grinned at him with a toothy smile, although one of her front teeth was missing.

“And who are you?” Derek asked her gently, returning the smile. He had always been able to better socialize with children. Children were easy, simple. The girl was cute, with little pigtail, her hair tied together with pink hair bands, freckles on her cheeks and sparkling finger nails.

“I’m Josie and I love you. Do you want to be my friend?” she said, giggling. Derek raised his eyebrows in amusement, but Josie already turned her head away, though, when someone called her name. When Derek looked up he saw Henry coming up to them.

With trained movements he pried Josie from Derek’s leg and took her into his own strong arms. “I’ve been searching for you,” he scolded her, but there was no real edge to his voice. “Sorry if she bothered you,” he turned to Derek.

“No problem, we’re friends after all,” he said and winked at Josie. She giggled and buried her face in Henry’s shoulder, still looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

“Joseline is Gary’s daughter from a previous relationship, but she’s like my own,” Henry said and tickled Josie’s side gently.

Derek, too, reached up and wiggled his fingers under her chin. Josie squirmed and tried to get out of their reach. She leaned away and nearly fell out of Henry’s arms if Derek hadn’t caught her first.

She breathed hard while she composed herself after they let up out of mercy, but after a few moments her eyes snapped open. She leaned up and whispered something into Henry’s ear.

With an apologetic smile through his beard he turned back to Derek. “Looks like someone has to go to the toilet,” he announced and set Josie back to her feet.

Josie already walked away when she turned around again and hugged Derek’s leg. With another radiating smile she looked up at him. “I love you. See you later!” she said and rushed away. Henry smiled at him and followed her.

“She’s a sweet little cupcake, isn’t she?” Derek heard someone say into his ear. When he turned around he saw the woman with the sunbed flavor, Jesse.

And she was far too close for his liking.

His nose nearly fell off from the liters of perfume she must have bathed in, and she rested her hand on his biceps while she leaned up to his face as far as she could. Derek could feel her breasts pressing into him.

 As subtle as possible he tried to pry his arm out of her grasp. “Yes, a real sweetheart,” Derek agreed while he backed off a bit, but Jesse followed him.

“But she’s a little afraid of the loo, so someone always has to go with her,” Jesse explained and came closer and closer until she was pressing herself against him again. “I wouldn’t have something against you coming with me to the bathroom, either, if you know what I mean,” she half whispered with what was supposed to be a seducing grin.

Derek has never felt so uncomfortable in his own skin, not even when he had to bury half his sister’s body in the backyard of his own house. Of course that moment was more filled with grief and hatred towards her killer, but still.

He could have kissed Mrs. Hendricks when she suddenly showed up with a plate of pastries. “Who wants some mini-cakes?” she asked cheerfully, and Derek didn’t have the slightest idea if she saved him on purpose or just had terrific timing.

He leaned down a bit towards the elder lady. “Have you seen my wife?” he asked her, disregarding her baked goods.

“In the dining room, dear” came the cheerful answer, and without wasting another second Derek was on his way, heaving a sigh when he was getting away from Jesse.

“The offer stands!” she called after him, and a cold shudder shook Derek’s body.

He found his wife in the middle of a group of babbling women, all of them talking to her and with everyone else who was willing to listen. Sometimes shrill laughter cut through the conversation, and other times the excited clapping of hands.

Derek observed Jennifer from the doorway. He saw her laughing, her cheeks red with joy and excitement. When she noticed him her smile softened a little, from hilarious to loving, before she was whisked away by the conversation again.

He returned her smile when a strong arm wrapped around Derek’s shoulder and pulled him away from the scene in front of him. “Let’s leave your lady to the ladies,” Henry said and guided him towards the backyard.

Around a barrel lit with fire to fend off the chill stood a dozen men, all of them with a beer in their hand and some of them already half drunk.

With a clasp of his shoulder Henry pressed another bottle into his hand and put Derek between two other guys. He took a step back from the open fire in front of him, though. Not because he was particularly warm, he just kept away from fire on principle.

It took him a while to warm up to all those strangers. At least Derek didn’t try to snap at anyone. He tried to be civil and polite, but the more alcohol was flowing and the more time passed the more the situation began to loosen. Everyone was getting rude, so Derek didn’t stand out anymore in case he had a mishap. It became easier.

One after the other the men got whisked away by their women or passed out on the chairs standing on the terrace. Henry, too, eventually had to carry a Josie who was nearly asleep on her feet back home, but thankfully his wife came to steal him away shortly after.

She wrapped herself around his arm, and Derek turned his face so he could give her a kiss on the crown of her head. “Leaving?” she asked him gently, and Derek nodded his head.

With a wave of his hand they excused themselves, and when they passed Caroline on their way out they thanked her for the wonderful evening.

“Anytime dears, anytime,” she just answered smiling and waved them goodbye.

The street was silent when they walked back to their house, and Derek heaved an exhausted sigh. “Neighbors are tiring,” he said, and Jennifer giggled.

“That’s life, honey,” she replied. Derek snorted in amusement, but didn’t comment on it. “ _I_ thought them very nice.” A content smile graced her face, and Derek couldn’t help but match it before a memory struck him.

“But please, don’t let me alone with this sunbed flavored monstrosity,” he pleaded while they walked up to their door. “She tried to talk me into having sex with her in the bathroom. I think I have to shower only from the thought of it.”

“What? She asked you, too?” Jennifer asked wide eyed. For a moment Derek could only stare at her, but then both of them cracked up and started laughing.


	10. Pasta Sauce

Like Derek predicted getting the bed frame up the stairs was a pain in the ass. A few times he thought he would break his neck when the weight of it threatened to pull him down again. He could only imagine the irony in it if he survived an iron pipe through his chest only to get bested by a bed.

Inaugurating it was totally worth it, though.

Their house was far from perfect still. They needed cutlery, shelves and chests of drawers, even clothes, and Jennifer wanted a carpet in every room of the house so it wouldn’t sound so hollow. Derek found out that she hated it when her steps and voice were echoing off the walls. It would make the room feel cold and empty she said.

And everywhere they were going they saw their new neighbors. No matter if it was when they went grocery shopping or going to IKEA, it was as if they were already waiting out on them.

But the _really_ scary thing was that Jennifer knew all of their names. Derek couldn’t recall them for the life of him, and every time they met them he was glad that his wife was such a smart woman. More than once he she rescued him out of an awkward situation.

All of them were so sickly nice to them. They would greet them with giant smiles, would chat with them about the weather as if they were genuinely interested and wave them off promising to visit some for coffee and pie to talk properly.

It made Derek suspicious.

 _“Get used to it Derek. You are respected part of society now, not a fugitive,”_ Jennifer has told him when he has told her of his distrust. She has left it at that, and whenever he tried to bring it up again she would hold her finger into his face and give him this _look_ that made him shut his mouth every time. It was frightening how much she has wrapped him around her little finger already.

Derek couldn’t say that both of their lives were boring in any stretch of the imagination, but he still noticed that Jennifer was unhappy. He noticed it in her scent whenever she seemed to stare into space or when she lay in bed beside him and couldn’t fall asleep.

And he smelled it now while they were in the supermarket.

Jennifer stood in front of a shelf, two glasses of pasta sauce in her hand. She stared at them as if the secret of the universe was hidden within them but just wouldn’t tell her about it.

“You okay?” Derek asked her after two minutes of silence.

“I’m trying to decide if we should get Bolognese or basil,” Jennifer muttered her answer, her eyes never wavering from her stare. She narrowed her eyes at the glasses. Derek wondered if she would threaten to torture them if they didn’t spill their mysteries.

“… Yeah, sure. Care to tell me what really bothers you?” Derek inquired, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited patiently for Jennifer to answer, not pressing any further. He knew she needed to collect her thought from where they have drifted off to.

She took a deep breath, as if she has submerged in the sea and only came back to the surface just yet, and ripped her eyes off the sauces in her hand.

“I love you,” Jennifer suddenly said, and Derek was a little taken aback by it, not expecting that declaration to start this conversation, but he saw that she was not done yet, so he didn’t say anything.

 “I really do. But…” Jennifer sighed, looking back to the glasses in her hand, her gaze softer now. “But I’m not happy the way things are.”

Still Derek didn’t reply. He wanted her to get her concerns off her chest.

“I mean, we married, we bought a house, we bought furniture together, met the neighbors, we go grocery shopping together, but I have the feeling there is still something missing in my life,” Jennifer continued, her arms flailing a little before they sank to her sides. “Do you know what I mean? Well, I _don’t_ mean that _you_ are the problem – there is nothing wrong with you or, you know, with _us_ – but there is _something_ wrong!” Again she flailed with her arms, and for a moment Derek feared the aisle would be covered in sauce any second now.

Carefully he walked up to her and pushed her arms back down from where they hung up in the air, rubbing them through the fabric of her jacket. “Yes, I get what you mean,” he answered. “But what exactly is it that’s missing?”

Jennifer sighed again and looked around them, as if the supermarket would magically show her the answer.

A family was walking by, a mother with her two sons. One looking like he was going to elementary school and the other like he was in sophomore year. Jennifer’s gaze lingered on them, and Derek knew then what was lacking in his wife’s life.

“Maybe you should just ask the High School if they still need a teacher,” he suggested. Jennifer nodded absentmindedly, still staring.

“You know, it doesn’t even have to be High School. It could be anything, as long as if I can teach again,” she said, finally looking at him. She looked miserable, and Derek pulled her into his arms.

“You’ll find something,” he murmured into her hair before he kissed the crown of her head and stepped back.

Sighing one last time Jennifer took a last look at the glasses in her hand and put them both into their cart.

 

 xXx

 

It was a cold and clammy morning two days after that. The air outside was foggy and the clouds threatened to pour their rain over them any minute.

Derek just bit into his bread roll covered with marmalade when Jennifer suddenly jumped off her chair with an outcry.

Startled Derek led his bun fall to his plate and looked at his wife, scanning her for injuries or anything else that might have caused the outburst.

She pushed her arms into the air, the biggest grin on her face Derek has seen on her since days, before she began to jump from her chair at the dining table towards the kitchen, back again and into the living room next. She hummed in happiness, and Derek could smell her excitement flowing through the air.

Carefully he pulled the newspaper she has been reading over towards himself, his eyes not leaving his wife. When he was able to pull his gaze away from the strange sight he quickly scanned the articles lying before him.

Job advertisements covered the double-page, some bigger than others. One of them caught his eyes, and while he read it he knew why Jennifer got so worked up.

Obviously the last English teacher of a local High School has kicked the dust during a car accident, and now they were looking for a replacement.

His wife was dancing because she was happy that someone died, and a feeling of fear sneaked its way up Derek’s spine for a split second.


	11. Blessedly whole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been an aweful long time since I updated the last chapter, half a year already, and I'm terribly sorry about that. University has kept my terribly busy and I simply lacked inspiration, not to forget that I have a social life, too.  
> Anyway, I still hope you enjoy this new chapter (whoever hasn't given up on it already at least ^^').

Three times already did Jennifer walk past him where he was standing between the hallway and the living room. She muttered under her breath, her hands raising books and vases before she knelt down in front of the couch, searching underneath it.

“Where is it… where, where, where…” she mumbled, lost in thoughts. Derek watched her silently, his eyes lingering on her raised backside and appreciating the few for a moment before he took pity on her.

He uncrossed his arms from over his chest and walked around the corner towards the cupboard near the door. He reached inside the bowl of green glass standing on top of it and picked up the car-key lying inside.

With measured steps he walked back to the passage, jingling with the keys. “How about you take these until you find the other,” he proclaimed, trying to not sound too smug.

Jennifer looked up from where she has crawled under the living room table. She gasped and quickly moved forward, pushing herself back to her feet. She rushed towards him, snatching the keys out of his hand and looked at them as if they promised salvations before she cupped Derek’s face and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“You’re my hero!” She said when she pulled away and rushed towards her bag standing on the dining room table. She rummaged inside it, muttering to herself once again, and again her newly proclaimed hero got ignored.

Sighing Derek walked over to her, his hands coming up to rest on her arms when he stood behind her. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her hair while he let his hands run up and down over the fabric of her cardigan.

Jennifer stilled, leaning back into his touch. “You don’t have to worry,” Derek said into her ear, his arms coming around to wrap her up in them and pull her closer. “You’re amazing, and the principal will have no other choice but to employ you.”

Jennifer sighed and turned around in his embrace. He let his hands fall down to the small of her back while Jennifer started to play with the collar of his shirt. “It’s just that I want this job so badly and it’s been so long since I had a job-interview… well, actually not _that_ long… but, you know what I mean.”

Derek smiled at her rambling and leaned in to press another kiss against her forehead. “You can do this,” he encouraged his wife. She gave him a wavy smile before she cupped his face again and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips before she pulled away and grabbed her bag.

Derek watched her when she walked out the door and towards her car standing in the driveway. A tight feeling grew in his chest while he watched her driving backwards onto the street. His eyes followed it down the street, and all of a sudden he felt terribly lonely, like he hasn’t felt since Laura left for Beacon Hills and never came back.

He kept standing in the door for another few minutes, looking in the direction where Jennifer disappeared to, willing her to come back and fill this hole that has suddenly turned up in his chest.

Eventually he took a few steps backwards and closed the door. Slowly he walked towards the living room and let himself sink down on the couch.

The house was eerily quiet. His heartbeat and breath were the only sounds in it he could hear. The silence was nearly deafening, and it was as if it pressed down on his body, choking his air out of his lungs. He realized for the first time how much time he and Jennifer spend together. Except on full moons they have always at least been in the same building together. And now he was alone.

By the thought of her halfway across town, so far away from him, where he couldn’t touch her, couldn’t make sure that she was save, made him fidget in his seat. He itched to dash out the door and get to her, his body suddenly full of nervous energy.

What if she had an accident? Did she already make him her emergency contact? What if hunters were in town and noticed he was a werewolf and now tried to kidnap Jennifer to get to him? What if her car gave out? Did she have enough money to call a cap or a towing service?

Derek groaned and ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes for a moment to get rid of those irrational fears. She was driving towards a job interview, not to war.

He already missed her. It wasn’t like he misses the sun in winter or good food when he lived in his burned down family house. It was more like a sting tugging on his heart and threatening to pull it out of his chest.

Derek knew that he has loved Paige, and, in a way, he has loved Kate, too, before she has killed his family and that feeling has turned to hatred.

But with Jennifer it was different. Every sound she made, every little gesture was warming his soul and filling him up until he thought he was bursting. The way she snuggled into the cushions and blankets before she fell asleep, how she rambled when she was nervous and how she got excited about a new book or a well written newspaper article. The little mole on underside of her right breast and the way his name sounded on her lips. He needed all of those things like he needed air to breathe.

Sometimes he is afraid to taint her. He is broken and shattered on the inside, and he will be for the rest of his life. He did things he isn’t proud of, and sometimes, when he is watching her, he fears that this darkness inside of him will stain her, too, one day.

But he is a selfish bastard, so he keeps Jennifer around and baths in the lights she seems to emit, soaking it in like a sponge. He will do that until there isn’t any light left anymore to take in, and when she is drained he will hate himself for it.

She will probably hat him, too. That’s what he’s most afraid of. That someday in the maybe not so distant future, she will realize that she is too good for him and leave.

He doesn’t think he would be able to survive that.

He already despairs when Jennifer is only half across town getting a job.

Derek pulled his phone from his pocket and looked on the screen. Only five minutes have passed.

He didn’t even try to suppress the whine that left his throat. He rests his head in his hands after he threw the phone onto the seat next to him and takes a few deep breaths.

He let his hands fall down again and rest on his legs, but soon his fingers began to tab impatiently against his thighs while he listened to the silence.

When he couldn’t stand it any longer he shot up from his seat and made his way upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and yanked the doors of the closet open. He pulled out his workout clothes and put them on before he went down again, nearly jumping down the stairs he rushed up just a minute ago.

Derek locked the front door before he left the house through the backyard and went straight into the forests behind it.

He hasn’t been in it since the last full moon, and the image of a crying and terrified Jennifer spurred him on in his run while he tried to get rid of the image and of the nervous energy wracking his body.

The air was cool and a little damp from the rain the previous night. The trees were half naked, their colorful leaves covering the ground like a blanket.

Soon Derek reached a path that snaked its way through the underbush, nothing more than a wide dirt track, and decided to follow it.

After a few minutes he felt his lungs burning from the effort, but it was a good feeling, something he hasn’t felt since weeks, and he increased his pace.

A shrill voice ripped him out of his concentration and the rhythm of his steps faltered. When he looked over his shoulder he saw Jesse come up onto the path from a side branch, her bright pink sweats and runners a stark contrast to her surroundings.

“Hello there!” she chimed happily, her voice an octave too high for his sensible hearing, and Derek suppressed a wince. “I didn’t know you were running, too!”

Jesse was out of breath, and he could tell he jogged too fast for her to keep up with him for very long, their paces too different. “But I should have known,” she continued.”You can’t maintain a body like yours with just vacuuming.” She laughed at her own joke.

Derek smiled politely and began to quicken his pace a little. “Maybe,” Jesse panted, beginning to breathe more heavily than before when she tried to keep up with him,” we can meet up sometimes and work out together. You know, for the company.”

“You know what?” Derek answered smirking. “Why not, let’s run together.” Again he began to increase his speed, though not as much for someone to visibly notice, and for a while they ran beside each other, Jesse too focused on breathing than to start another conversation.

Eventually she started to fall back, her movements getting sluggish and her breathing turning into huffing and wheezing. Derek suppressed a smirk when he noticed her slacking.

“You okay?” he asked her, his voice laced with fake concern.

At first Jesse nodded, and Derek admired her determination for a brief second. But then she shook her head. “You know what?” she wheezed, “you go on and I try to catch up sometimes later.” She waved him forward before she stopped and rested her hands on her knees, trying to get air into her lungs.

Derek waved back and continued his run, smiling to himself. He doubted she would ever ask him to work out with her again.

After that his run was rather uneventful. Once a tree has fallen over the path and he jumped over it, turning a somersault while he was at it. On his way he threw some punches and kick at invisible opponents, trying to exercise every muscle in his body he has neglected since he left Beacon Hills.

He was sure that he would need his skills one day. He had the gut feeling that trouble would find him eventually – it always did – and when that day came he wanted to be ready. He had to protect Jennifer when the time came.

His muscles were pleasantly burning when he began to run back to the house nearly an hour later. He feared that Jennifer was already back while he was gone, but when he walked through the back door he was still alone.

Derek went upstairs, already pulling his soaked shirt over his head. He let it fall to the floor of the bathroom, taking his time to take his clothes off.

The water felt good when it washed away the sweat and grime on his skin, and he let himself linger under the stream longer than necessary. When he was done he dried himself off and patted towards the bedroom, not bothering to cover his nudity.

Just when he was dressed and pulled a fresh henley over his head he heard a familiar engine coming closer. He tried not to run towards the door like an overeager child, but he couldn’t help the excitement and relief at the thought that Jennifer was back again.

He really didn’t know how he should manage a whole day when he was already aching from an hour apart.

When the engine died he gripped the handle of the door and yanked it open.

Jennifer was running towards him as fast as her heels allowed her, a giant smile plastered on her face. Derek opened his arms just in time to catch her when she flung herself at him. Her bag fell to the floor, its content clattering inside when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The kiss she gave him was hurried and over far too soon, although she dived in again three more times.

“I got the job!” she proclaimed excitedly, happiness flowing out of her every pore. “Only as a supply teacher, but because it’s the middle of the semester and I’m the only one applying for that job I start next week.”

Jennifer started to giggle, biting her lower lip, although it did little to stop the grin blooming on her face.

Derek felt his own smile tugging at his lips in response, and he leaned down to capture hers in another kiss. He loved to see her so happy. It made his heart sing in his chest.

Jennifer wiggled out of his grasp and moved inside, shoving her bag out of the way with her foot while she began to happily dance and sing through the hallway and towards the kitchen.

Derek chuckled and followed her once he closed the door again. Jennifer went towards the fridge and pulled a bottle of sparkling wine from it, something she already did the previous evening, a time where she had been optimistic and far less nervous than this morning.

Next she pulled two champagne glasses from the cabinet above the kitchen counter. She popped the cork and filled the glasses to the half before handed Derek one of them.

With a beaming smile she clicked her glass against his and took a mouthful. Derek followed suit, and when their glasses were empty he set his down on the counter, picking Jennifer’s out of her hand and set it down beside it.

He grabbed by her hips and pressed her against the counter with his body. She met his lips halfway, her tongue already darting out to run over his lip.

Derek opened his mouth, his own tongue meeting with hers. She tasted of alcohol and grapes, and Derek sighed into the kiss. He leaned closer, Jennifer’s body warm, soft and pliant against his own, and all the tension left his muscles. He felt blessedly whole again.

He hummed when she raked her nails through his hair and down his neck. She held on to him and pressed herself further into his touch, a small whimper leaving her throat.

When Jennifer pulled away her breathe ghosted over the skin of his face, the scent of her filling his head and making him dizzy, as if there has been something else than just sparkling wine in that glass.

“How about we celebrate properly upstairs?” Jennifer asked teasingly, a mischievous smirk playing around her lips.

She slipped out of his grasp and walked towards the stairs, swaying her hips and casting a sinful look over her shoulder.

Derek didn’t need any further invitation.


	12. Pouring Rain

Jennifer loved to watch the rain. How it poured down from the heavens, the twilight when the dark, heavy clouds reached across the sky. She loved the sound of it, the patter when it his the glass or the ground, or the gurgling when it disappeared down the drain. The steady rythm and how she could almost distinguish every single drop on its own. It was the most soothing thing in the entire world for her.

Whenever it started to rain and she had the time for it (and even if she didn't) she would build herelf a fort of cushions, grab herself a coffee or a hot cocoa and wrap herself in a fluffy blanket. Sometimes she would spend hours just sitting at her window and stare out into the rain. It gave her peace in a way nothing else could.

Now, married with her own house and a garden it was a whole other experience. She would open the patio door and take a deep breath of the clean air outside that accompanied the downpour. She would observe how the colourful leaves would bend under the heavy drops.  She wrapped her hands around her warm mug and sighed in contentment.

"Hey," she heard Derek say softly behind her. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at him where he stood in the doorway, his eyes soft and tender, before she turned again and continued looking out of the open door. She heard him come closer before he sat down on the cushions behind her and snuggled his arms into her blanket and around her waist, his legs stretching out on both of her sides, wrapping himself around her. She leaned back into his chest, snuggling into his warmth she felt seeping through the blanket.

They stayed quiet for the next couple of minutes, both of them satisfied to just be in each other's presence. After a while she felt Derek press his lips against her hair, taking a deep breath and then letting it out again in a sigh before his lips began to follow a trail to her ear.

He began to run them across the shell of her ear, his stubble leaving a burning, tingling feeling behind. He sucked her lope into his mouth and began nibbling at the flesh. He continued kissing her behind her ear, and she tilted her head to give him better access, but he didn't go further than her ear and neck. His thumbs drew lazy circles over the fabric of her sweater on her sides and just over her hipbone.

It was nice just sitting there and letting Derek caress her skin. Although it was sending pleasant shivers down her spine she was satisfied to just sit there like that. It was far more confortable and warm than the blankets and her cushions.

"This is nice," Derek muttered, nussling her hair with his nose. He drew her a little tighter against him and sighed happily.

Jennifer hummed in approval and took a sip of her cocoa. "I always loved the rain. It is calming to watch how it falls down from the sky, the smell of it, the sound. It would be even better if there were thunder. Sometimes I could swear I could feel the electricity in the air."

"I would love to shift during a thunderstorm," Derek replied. "Every hair on my body would stand on end. It always sends a pickle over my skin. It felt nice. Laura always used to make fun of me when I shifted just to feel that prickle."

"You can shift now if you want," Jennifer proposed.

She felt how he immediately tensed behind her, and she new where his thoughts have wandered to even before he spoke. "I don't... I don't think that is such a good idea. I still don't know if I can properly control it, and I don't want to risk it..."

Setting her mug to the side she turned around in his arms. She pulled her arms out of her blanket that began pooling on the ground and cupped his face in her hands, kneeling before him. She made sure that he looked into her eyes before she started to speak.

"You know I don't blame you for what has happened. I admit that I was scared. More than scared actually. I was TERRIFIED." She saw how shame and guilt flashed across his features once again. "But," she said with emphasis, "I know why you did what you did. I know you didn't want to hurt me, and you didn't, you stopped yourself before you could. I know that it was the wolf inside you that wanted out. And now it happened, you shifted completely. I know I don't have to be scared anymore. I am _not_ scared of you, Derek."

At first Derek didn't say anything, just looked at her, contemplating her words. "Jennifer, he eventually said, his expression grave and his eyes serious. "When I try to hurt you another time I want you to leave. Forever."

Jennifer blinked in surprise, but before she was able to say anything he continued. "If I were any other man, if I had tried hurt you just because I was angry or drunk, would you forgive me then, too?"

She knew what Derek wanted to convey with that question, and although she knew what he wanted to hear, what her answer was, she hesitated to give it. She didn't want to say it, because it would result in him insisting on his demand, and that was something she didn't want to even think about.

If he were any other man, she would have left. She would have packed her bag, thrown it into her car and would have driven to the next police station, followed by the next state. She would have left and wouldn't have come back.

But Derek wasn't any other man. He was a werewolf, and although he has tried to hurt her, she knew that his rage and anger that night has been out of his control. Some supernatural urge has controlled his actions, and she couldn't bring herself to blame him for it. It helped that he has never actually harmed her, maybe she would feel different if he had actually hurt her. So far he has only scared her, and she could get over that, but deep inside she knew that he would never bring harm to her.

Derek only nodded at her silence. "I thought so. How is what happened at the last full moon any different from that?" He shook his head. "There is no difference. If I ever want to hurt you again I want you to leave, because if you stay I might actually hurt you one day for real. It could already come to that at the next full moon. And I couldn't live with myself if I ever-"

"You won't," she interrupted him. She pressed herself closer against his body and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She ran her hands through the hair at the back of his head. Derek closed his eyes and leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against her collarbone. "I trust you Derek. I know you wont let it come so far. I forgive you for what happened the other day. And I promise to pack my things and leave when you ever try to hurt me again, but in return you have to promise me something as well."

Derek nodded. "Everything."

"I want you to promise me to not let your control slip ever again."

Derek turned his head and looked up at her. He looked surprised, but then a rueful smile tugged at his lips. "Promised."

Jennifer returned his smile and leaned down to press her lips against his. She pulled back after a moment and tugged his face back against her chest again. He nuzzled against her and pressed a kiss over her heart. They stayed like that a little bit longer, both of them listening to the rain, letting it calm them both down again.

Eventually Derek shifted against her, his lips starting to kiss her skin above the hemline of her sweater. She could feel his tongue darting out between his lips and tasting the skin over her collarbone, and she sighed in pleasure when he moved his ministrations up her neck. He gently bit her jaw and nibbled his way towards her mouth.

When he pressed his mouth to hers she let him control the kiss. She could feel his need seeping through the contact, and she knew that he had to take control, that he neededto know that he could be in control. Derek growled deep in his chest before he sucked her tongue into his mouth. A small whimper left Jennifer at the sensation and began to give as good as she got.

She pressed herself closer against him and let her hands wander over the hard muscles of his shoulders and back. When Derek pulled his legs underneath him and began leaning her back she broke the kiss and rested herself on the cushions lying on the floor.

She looked up at him, how he kneeled over her, how he caged her in with his arms. The warm feeling of safety and love spread through her chest. She smiled.

"I love you," she told him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down to her. He met her lips with tenderness, his hands cradling her face.

"I love you," he said back, pecking her over and over again. After a while Jennifer pulled Derek a little more firmly against her. His next kiss was more insistent, his tongue invading her mouth once again.

Slowly he eased down on her, already in between her legs and he settled down at the juncture of her thighs. His hands moved down her neck, over her chest and abdomen until they reached the hem of her sweater. He grabbed the fabric and began easing it up.

She only let go of him so she could move the garment off of her before she did the same to him, letting her hands roam over his warm, smooth skin and the hard muscles, feeling the dips and curves they created underneath his skin. Goosebumps spread over their skin from the cool air coming in through the patio door, and she pressed herself even closer to his body.

Derek's lips skimmed from her lips down towards her neck, sucking at her skin and tasting her with his tongue. The feeling of his teeth softly biting at her skin tugged at her core, making the fire that was smoldering in the pit of her stomach roaring to life. She shifted her hips against his, feeling his growing erection behind the fabric of his trousers and started grinding against him, softly moaning at the friction it created.

His lips moved further until they reached the fabric of her bra. It wasn't anything special, just a plain white t-shirt bra, but he didn't seem to mind. He never did.

He just peppered her breasts with kissed and sucked at the skin that was available to him. He reached behind her and undid the clasp, pulling the garment off of her and immediately launching onto her nipples. His tongue darted out first, the tip softly running around the pebbled nub before he set his mouth on it and sucked.

Jennifer started panting, her heart starting to beat wildly in her chest and her hips starting to undulate faster against the hard bulge in his pants. Every touch of him, every brush of his lips against her skin, every sweep of his tongue made the string in her stomach grow tighter. She squirmed underneath him, tugging at his hair to draw him in deeper.

She wanted to feel him. She wanted to feel him cover her body with his own, wanted to feel his love expressed though his body, feeling him inside her. She wanted to hear him panting and moaning above her while he lost himself inside her. She wanted to be one with him again, feel the all compassing, comforting heat that engulfed her every time their bodies joined. She wanted him to forget his guilt and shame and just feel her love for him, just wanted to feel the intimacy between them and nothing more, because nothing else was important.

He let up from her nipple after a while, moving further down. He let his chin and cheeks move over the skin of her stomach, the stubble on his face leaving a delicious burn in its wake.

Without haste he started to unbutton her pants and slowly pulling it down her legs together with her panties, his fingers trailing over her skin. He peppered her thighs with kisses, gently biting her skin and moving up towards where she needed him.

He took his sweet time, moving from her knee up towards the juncture of her thighs, first one leg, then the other. Jennifer reveled in his ministrations and relaxed into the cushions, letting him do how he pleased. She knew that he wouldn't let himself get hurried along, so she could very well relish in his ministration. She sensed that he needed to take it slow, needed to prove to himself that he was not a savage beast like he believed himself to be.

When he finally swept his tongue between her wet folds she was aching for him. A relieved sigh came from deep in her chest, and she carded her hands through his hair to encourage him to go on.

His movements were slow and almost lazy, sucking and biting and licking without a rhythm or pattern, occasionally pushing his tongue into her before pulling out again to start all over again.

Jennifer felt her body grow hotter, the desire clenching her insides building up higher and higher, but Derek's mouth on her didn't help relief the aching. It only helped making it stronger, and eventually she was moving her hips against his lips to finally reach and stumble over that precipice that was looming in front of her.

When Derek pulled back from her when she started to move against him she whimpered in protest. He swallowed it when he pressed his mouth to hers in a languid kiss. She moaned when she could taste herself on his tongue. She reached down to open the button and zipper of his pants. "Derek, please," she whispered against his lips.

With a growl Derek kissed her again while he simultaneously pulled his pants and boxers down his hips. When his erection sprang free Jennifer grabbed his length, massaging the hot flesh.

He gasped against her lips and thrust into her hand. His arms branded around her, his body flush with hers so that he completely surrounded her. Jennifer felt save here in his arms. She had the feeling that nothing in the world would ever harm her as long as she was in his arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around his shoulders and hips, pulling him tighter against her body.

Without waiting another second Derek flexed his hips against hers, his length gliding through her wet folds. She moaned at the sensation and met his moves with her own. He repeated the motion a couple of times more before he shifted his weight, his next thrust bringing him to her entrace, the head of his cock slowly entering her.

Jennifer panted against his lips, her eyes fixed on his own. She felt him stretching her walls, how he slowly filled her. His muscles were tense, the look on his face fixed on her own, taking in ever twitch on her face. His eyes were burning with desire and love, his pupils dilated by his hunger and lust.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, his breath ghosting over her lips. Jennifer could only moan in response. Derek pushed into her to the hilt, his pelvis rubbing against her clit at the same time he said his words.

He started a gentle pace, taking his time pulling out and then pushing inside again. It was almost maddeningly slow. She tried to meet his thrusts but he kept her immobile with his hips. He was the one in control.

His hands came up and ran over her arms around his shoulders until they reached her hands. He entwined his fingers with her and then brought them down beside her head. He let his lips dance over hers, and just like his thrusts the pace of his tongue was lazy, more tender than passionate, and it made her blood hotter than the sun.

His pace was steady, the rhythm of his hips pressing into hers never faltering, and the string that seemed to pull tight in her body came closer and closer to snapping. She wanted to dig her fingers into his ass and pull him against her. She wanted to spur him on by meeting his thrusts. But she knew that he wouldn't let her, that this was not the way things were going right now. Maybe later she could push him onto his back and ride his cock like she wanted to, but right now it wasn't the right time.

"Please," Jennifer pleaded. The need to come was burning through her veins, her fingers squeezing his tighter and tighter the longer he denied her her climax.

Derek nodded almost unnoticeably. His next thrust came in stronger, and Jennifer almost cried with relief when she noticed her pleasure climbing. He continued that way, and almost before Jennifer realized it her muscles were convulsing around him, her mouth opened in a silent scream as she lost all control over her body.

Derek watched her through it all, his eyes dark, his thrusts growing erratic when he moved closer towards his end as well. He came with a grasp, his hips pressing into her, his cock buried as deep as it could go inside her. She felt it pulse inside her when his orgasm hit him, and she squeezed her muscles around him as tight as she could.

His eyes widened and he moaned at the sensation, his hips pumping into her while she milked their highs for as much as they were worth.

He collapsed on top of her when it was over, his face buried in the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her, and Jennifer wound herself around him, pulling him in as tightly as she could.

Her heart was still beating wildly in her chest. The look on Derek's face when he had made love to her still vividly swimming in the forefront of her mind, and it tugged at her heartstrings, and again, like so many times before since they have met, she felt like she was bursting. She kissed the side of his head, one of her hands running through his sweat slicked hair. Derek hummed in contentment and snuggled closer into her.

The patter of the rain on the tiles of the patio still sounded hypnotically in the background, and Jennifer felt how her eyelids grew heavy. She could already feel Derek's even breath against her collarbone, and with a sigh Jennifer let her eyes fall shut, letting the rain and the warmth of her husband's body lull her to sleep against the cold of the outside world.


	13. The Sweet Life

"I was thinking."

Jennifer hummed, showing Derek that she was listening. After their encounter in the living room and their short nap afterwards they have moved upstairs into their bedroom. They snuggled into the comforters, and Jennifer noticed that Derek was a little clingier than before. Not that she was complaining.

"Already the other day when you had your job interview I was bored out of my mind," he continued.

Jennifer snorted into his chest, shaking her head in amusement.

"I'm serious. I really don't know how housewives have kept themselves sane through the centuries," he said, his chuckle rumbling deep in his chest. His hands ran up and down her bare spine, drawing lazy patterns on her skin.

"You need a hobby," Jennifer concluded from what she heard from him. "Or you could get yourself a job. I know you always say that we don't need the money, but at least with a job none of us dies out of boredom.“

"Yeah, now I know what you meant, back when you said you _wanted_ to work, not out of necessity, but because of you were unhappy with how your life was going. The only problem is that I really don't know what I want to do."

"What did you do when you were with Laura?" she asked, pulling away from him a little to look at his face.

He licked his lips, his eyes gaining a faraway look. "We kept a low profile after the fire. Especially at the beginning we were a little paranoid that another group of hunters would come and get us to finish the job. So mostly we did things like working in a garage and repairing cars or working in a restaurant as a waiter or waitress. Jobs you could drop out of without anybody really noticing. I did online courses so not so many people noticed that we had enough money to get me into college. They would have asked where the money had come from, and that would have lead to a lot more of uncomfortable questions than we were ready to answer. We moved a lot, too, at the beginning, and low paid work was easier to quit when we moved location, and easier to get in a new town. When we finally decided to settle down in New York for real she said she had to follow a new lead in Beacon Hills, about the fire, and then..."

His eyes turned sad, a shadow falling over his face, and Jennifer snuggled back into him to give him comfort. "So you never had a long term job, although you have a degree," she summarized, trying to bring his thoughts back to the present.

He sighed and nodded, his hands continued to draw patterns on her back where they have stilled during his tale. He pulled her a little tighter.

"Maybe you could apply for some jobs. Just ask a few companies if they are hiring at the moment. If not you can still do something at the house."

"Like what?"

"Like the garden for example. You could get it clean and proper before the winter comes. The previous owners must have let it go quite a bit to have it look like that. All those dead plants and the weed have to go. Maybe you could start with that and continue in the spring when the gardening season starts."

She could already picture it in her head. The lush green lawn, colorful flower beds, maybe an apple tree. She could do the pie Mrs. Reever always made when they were still neighbors in Beacon Hills.

"And in the meantime? There is only so much vacuuming I can do before I wear through the floor."

"I thought you were thinking?! Why don't _you_ come up with a solution Mr. Deeper Thought?!" She poked him in the side where she knew he was ticklish. Grinning he squirmed away from her.

"I did! But I didn't really come up with something except searching for a job myself."

"You're so uncreative," Jennifer muttered and rolled onto her back. Staring at the ceiling as she roamed through her thoughts. "Maybe you could... I don't know, do something with your hands, home improvement or something. I bet there are a few things you could do here."

This time it was Derek's time to snort. "Home improvement? Really, I can show you what exactly I can improve with these hands of mine," he said, his eyes growing dark. He shifted closer to her and rubbed his hand over her waist and stomach just shy of her breasts. She slapped his hand away.

"You know what I mean. You say you have a degree in architecture, so do something with it. Most of the rooms in the house are still empty. Maybe you could build something for them, too, instead of just buying furniture. At least then you have plenty of occupation, and it gives everything some kind of individual touch."

"Maybe I can set up some kind of workshop in the garden or in the basement," Derek continued her thought, his expression becoming thoughtful. Jennifer mentally patted herself on the shoulder for getting his lazy brain to focus. "I would need a truck or something to transport everything I would need..."

"Then get one. _You_ are always the one who says that money is not an issue. And you would need a car anyways in case you have to go somewhere when I'm at work." He hummed in approval of her words.

She snuggled against his chest once again while he was caught up in his head. Night was already creeping up on them, and although she was a little hungry she was too lazy to get up and make something for dinner. She just reveled in their proximity and the coziness of the moment. Derek was the better cook anyway.

"You know," she heard Derek eventually say, his voice making his chest rumble against her cheek. "I never thought I could have this."

"Have what?" she asked him sleepily.

"This. You, being married, having a house, searching for a job... being normal. What other people considered normal was never something I have ever associated with my life. I'm a born werewolf, so my entire childhood I was surrounded by things that were everything BUT normal, and in a way I didn't expect it to change. Then the fire happened, then Laura, all this crap happening in Beacon Hills..." he faltered in his words.

Jennifer pulled away, her mind fixed on his words but not wanting to break him out of his thoughts. After a while staring into nothingness he looked down at her and smiled. "Then you came, and now everything is looking at houses, buying furniture, neighborhood parties and fixing the flower beds." He chuckled. "We've moved so fast forward that sometimes I thought that it was a little TOO fast, that everything would blow in my face again, like always. But then there is this rightness that I feel deep in my guts when I'm with you, and I know that nothing we do could ever be WRONG as long as we do it together..."

She beamed at his words, warmth filling her from head to toe, but she noticed that he drifted off at the end, as if something has come to his mind. "What is it? What are you thinking about?"

He blinked at her, coming back to reality. "Just... There were always stories everyone in my family told, this old stuff that was almost ancient. Like when your parents say 'Back then when we were younger...'" They chuckled, but the humor couldn't completely mask the heaviness that lay in his voice. "They always said that when a werewolf found his or her partner, their mate, it would be like a switch was turned inside them and everything would just click into place for them."

"So I'm your mate?" Jennifer inquired, something akin to giddiness bubbling up inside her.

He smiled. "I don't know, I've never had a mate." She slapped his shoulder in indignation while he only laughed. "But if I had to guess I think it would feel pretty much the way I feel right now. Whenever I have doubt or I started to worry about the pace or the place we were going I only have to look at you and they would ebb away. It's as if you are the light that is keeping the dark parts that try to sneak up on me at bay."

She could only grin stupidly at him. A million butterflies were dancing tango in her stomach at his words. "You really know how to play with words Mr. Hale. They could turn any woman into a puddle of goo."

He chuckled and leaned towards her for a kiss. "In that case I have accomplished my goal Mrs. Hale."

The press of his mouth against hers, although firm, was languid and sweet. She couldn't help but smile against his lips, and she felt how his own tugged upwards, her happiness obviously contagious.

When they pulled apart she looked up at his soft eyes. "I love you, too."

 

xXx

 

When Jennifer's school week started, she was glad to be back. And of course she gave out tests to judge her students' knowledge so far.

She could practically feel their hatred towards her.

The feeling was so familiar that Jennifer took a deep breath of it. And from one moment to the other she felt at home again. Not that she wasn't already feeling at home with Derek, but it gave her a different kind of normalcy.

Her entire life has been such a whirlwind lately that this routine was steadying her again. She loved her new life, but working as a teacher again filled a hole she hadn't noticed was even there. It gave her a kind of purpose. It has been nice to just let her soul dangle for a while, but now it was enough.

She wanted a real life with Derek, and for her a regular working life belonged to it. It still surprised her though when her students called her Mrs. Hale.

She could still remember when she first corrected tests in Beacon Hills, how she has sat all night in her classroom, forgetting about the time while she drowned in papers. She could still smell the blood penetrating the air and the wet sounds of claws slashing through flesh. She has almost gotten sick with fear that night. And although she knew that it was highly unlikely that the same thing would happen again, nobody could say that she didn't learn her lessons. That's why she took her test with her back home.

"You really want to correct all of those?" Jesse asked her before taking a sip of her coffee. She gave the stack of papers on the coffee table a suspicious glance from the corner of her eyes.

"She's a teacher, of course she has to correct all of them!" Caroline replied. She rolled her eyes and impaled a piece of her cake she has brought over onto her fork.

Jennifer just listened to their banter from her place on the armchair. Caroline and Jesse have surprised her when they showed up at her doorstep that Friday afternoon. School ended early that day for her, so she has thrown on a comfortable pair of lounge pants and one of Derek's sweaters, making herself a large pot of coffee and sat down in the living room to take a look at the rest of the tests she wanted to give back her students next week. Her new neighbors seemed to have chosen that afternoon to decide that they wanted to get to know her better, though.

She had to admit, the cake was delicious. Happily she took another bite.

"What is that hot husband of yours doing anyway?" Jesse asked. Her expression turned smug while she took a look around the house.

"Derek's in the garden to make it fit for next year," Jennifer said. All of them turned their head towards the glazed patio door, taking a look at the flower bed.

Derek was kneeling in the dirt, his hands dirty and still digging for weed. Although it was rather frosty outside he has rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. They could see the muscles and sinews working in his arms, his brows furrowed in concentration. He leaned forward, his cargo pants firmly stretching over his thighs and ass. All of them let out an appreciative sigh at the sight.

Jesse was waving air at her face with her hand. "Really, where did you find that FINE specimen of a man? I want one, too."

"Beacon Hills, California," Jennifer answered like on autopilot, taking a sip of her coffee.

"How did you meet?" Caroline was downright chipper. Jennifer really liked that about her, how she seemed to make every room brighter with her attitude and how she always seemed to see the good in everything.

But how was she to answer that question? She could hardly tell them Derek let himself ripped to pieced by his own sister to save her life.

"Some thugs attacked me after school," she said instead. "Derek saved me and came over the next day to see if I'm all right."

"So he was your knight in shining armor?" Caroline sounded downright awestruck. She took another look out into the garden, one of her hands coming up to lie over her heart. "How romantic," she breathed.

"How come you moved here? This bacon town not good enough anymore?" Jesse was still drooling over Derek. She was constantly licking her lips while she observed him, and Jennifer was short of offering her a tissue.

"Derek had a problem with a gang that came to town," she answered. "They wanted to recruit him or something like that. They almost killed him. When he was better again we left town."

"Holy mother of cheesecake," Jesse exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Caroline didn't look any better, her fork frozen halfway to her slack jawed mouth.

"And then?" she asked, her hand finally guiding her cake to her mouth, eyes wide and fixed on her in suspense.

"We just drove down the coast, through towns and the countryside. We had no real destination." Jennifer shrugged. "Eventually we decided to settle down here. It's been almost three months since we left Beacon Hills, so we thought it was save."

"So this gang is still after him?" Jesse asked

Again Jennifer shrugged. "No idea, probably not, or they would have long since found us... we think."

"You must really love your man if you decided to go with him just like that, with such an uncertain future, danger following your every step." Again Caroline looked awestruck. It was as if she found her new romantic idols right next door.

Jennifer just smiled. She sure as hell wasn't telling them that she has only met him thrice before eloping with him into this 'uncertain future'.

"And the marriage?" Caroline asked further, leaning forward eagerly to not miss a single word she was about to tell them.

Now Jennifer had to blush in embarrassment. "It was a Vegas wedding," she admitted. "We were just in Nevada after around two months in, and he just asked."

Neither of her two companions said anything. Jennifer already prepared for judgment, but she startled when they squealed in excitement.

"Oh, how romantic!" Caroline exclaimed while Jesse just muttered a "Damn girl! You made the right choice to nick that man".

Jennifer raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Romantic? Most people wouldn't consider a Vegas wedding romantic. They would probably call it foolish."

"I can see it in front of my inner eye," Caroline kept on as if she hadn't heard a single word she said. "In the face of life threatening danger not only for himself but also for the love of his life he decided he didn't want to wait any longer, and he asked you to spend the rest of your lives together, not knowing how long both of you have left anymore. Ohhh, I bet it was real, real romantic!"

An awkward laugh escaped Jennifer's lips, and if she wasn't mistaken she also heard a snort from outside. Of course Derek was listening in with his crazy werewolf senses.

"I saw my fare share of Vegas weddings," Jesse said, leaning back on the couch. "I was a cocktail waitress at numerous casinos, and at least twice a week did I hear an Elvis blaring his version of the wedding march. Most of the time the couples were drunk. Were you drunk when you married?" All of a sudden her tone became accusatory.

"Um, no," Jennifer answered slowly. Jesse's glare softened back into a smile, obviously satisfied with the answer. "How did YOU go from Vegas to a small town in Oregon, though?" She was just eager to change the focus of their attention for now.

"I had a Vegas marriage of course," Jesse admitted. At Jennifer's dumbstruck face she started laughing.

"Of course," Jennifer muttered into her mug.

"His name was Frank, and he was a regular at the Casino I was working in. Always tried to woo me, that one. He had his own registry and a whole lot of money, I can tell you! Eventually I thought to myself: why not? I mean, looks aside, he was a real catch. We married, and after he had a heart attack we moved here. 'Taking it slow' his doctor has said. He died during another heart attack while he was sleeping with his secretary in his office. He had no family, and as his wife I inherited everything he owned." Jesse shrugged at the end of her tale.

"I would say I'm sorry for your loss, but I think I would probably be more sorry about it than you are." Jennifer smirked at her new friend's laughter.

A small wail interrupted them in their little chitchat. Babbling Caroline leaned down towards the baby carrier she has brought with her. Inside was her baby boy, René, not more than eight months old. He was her second child. Her first one, Louis, was already going to Kindergarten.

Rocking the baby Caroline cooed a whole lot of nonsense into his face. "What's the matter my little baby boy? Does our topic disturb you? Don't you like Jesse's voice? Do you feel left out? You don't have to my, little pumpkin pie. When you have your romantic Vegas wedding we will talk about it, too, don't worry."

She made kissing noises at his face, pretending to eat his nose and wiggling her fingers against his little tummy. René squealed in delight, his chubby little baby arms flailing around in excitement.

Jennifer smiled at the scene when the porch door opened. René's attention shifted immediately towards Derek. Derek's hands were still dirty, a light sheen of sweat shining on his forehead. Jesse was drooling again.

As soon as Derek passed over the threshold René was squealing again, louder this time. He shifted in his mother's arms, trying to get a hold of Derek, grasping at him with his little fingers.

Derek came over and bend down to be at eyelevel with the child. He raised one of his dirty fingers and smeared some of the mud from outside onto the baby's button nose.

At first René was completely perplexed. With an open mouth and wide eyes he stared at Derek, stilling for a second. And then, from one moment to the next, he was squirming around in Caroline’s grasp, rubbing at his nose and laughing maniacally.

Grinning Derek straightened again before making his way over to Jennifer and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'm going upstairs to shower," he told them and disappeared up the stairs.

Caroline stared after him, still trying to prevent her son from slipping out of her arms. With huge eyes she turned her head back to Jennifer, giving her a great imitation of a fish. "What just happened?"

Jesse just chortled. "I think your husband is a baby whisperer."

"Oh, how romantic!"

Jennifer just rolled her eyes and ate her cake.


	14. Halloween

"We need pumpkin cookies."

Stopping in his movements Derek looked up from where he's been occupied with sucking at his wife's nipples. "What?" he asks in confusion.

"Pumpkin cookies," Jennifer repeated. Her eyes were fixed at the ceiling and her brows furrowed in concentration. "And pumpkin pie. And apple pie. And apple cookies. And-"

"Woah, hold on," Derek interrupted her "What brought this on? I thought we were otherwise occupied a second ago."

"Halloween is coming soon Derek. Everything else is secondary. I don't even know how I could have forgotten such an important date."

Derek blinked. "Oh god, you're right." He sat back on his haunches. "How could we've forgotten that?"

"Well, we had a lot of things going on lately," she admitted. She still looked a little sour at the fact she has forgotten.

"You're right, we have to prepare for Halloween," he said, already moving to get out of bed. "It's Sunday morning, not too late to go get what we're lacking."

He couldn't even get one foot out from underneath the covers before Jennifer intercepted him and pulled him back on top of her. "Where do you think you're going?"

He smirked, feigning innocence. "What? I thought you wanted me to bake pumpkin cookies."

"Well," she said while her legs wrapped around his waist, "before you begin another task you should first finish what you started." Her arms snaked around his shoulders, pulling him closer, her eyes dark and smoldering.

"I WAS about to finish what I started, but then _you_ started talking about food," Derek protested, but his actions belied his words. He already leaned down again, nibbling at Jennifer's earlobe and pushing his hips into hers.

"Yes, but that didn't mean that you should stop. Oh! Yes, do that again," she moaned breathlessly. Derek has already moved down her neck, sucking a spot at her collarbone, gently biting at the skin.

"You have to tell me, Jen," he muttered on his way further down. "What do you want more? Me? Or Cookies?"

She chuckles breathlessly, her entire body vibrating at the motion. "I don't even have to think about that question." And with one fluid movement she flipped them over. She bend over him to capture his lips, all the while smiling against his lips. "You are far more delicious than cookies."

xXx

Screams filled the air, and Derek delighted in them. Chuckling he vanished back behind the small hedge separating their frond yard from the sidewalk, hiding for the next couple of kids coming around.

After Jennifer has made clear that she indeed wanted him more than pumpkin cookies they have spend the entire day in the kitchen. Not necessarily baking, although it's been part of what they have done there, too. Either way, ever since they realized what date was soon to come there was no way to hold them back.

Came out Halloween was both their favorite holiday. How they could have forgotten it was beyond them. Maybe they were too wrapped up in sex, house hunting, job searching and more sex to notice how time flew by. Who knew.

Jennifer has gone out of her way to find a fitting costume for the occasion. In the end she decided to be a vampiress, complete with black strapless Victorian dress and plastic teeth. The way she has looked in it in the shop has almost made him drool.

He on the other hand had his costume already ingrained in his DNA. Halloween was the only holiday where he and his family have never needed to hide what they were. For one night they could just let loose, and he wanted to keep that tradition, especially now that he was about to settle down.

He could hear the footsteps of another group of people, and he prepared to jump out again. When the group was in perfect position he flexed his legs and jumped. They were a group of three boys, all of them with a relatively big bag of candy in their hand. He opened his mouth in a roar, giving it a little bit of extra teeth. The boys' eyes widened in fright, their screams resonating with his howl. Derek couldn't look fast enough like the boys were running, one of them even leaving his candy behind.

He chuckled at the sight. He must look bizarre, scaring children and flashing his fangs with every grin. God, but this never got old. He absolutely loved Halloween.

"Derek!" he could hear Jennifer yell from their doorway. "How are we supposed to give the kids any candy when you scare them all off before they can even get to our doorstep?"

When he turned around to give a cheeky retort he froze and his mouth ran dry. The dress hugged her more firmly than he remembered. Her breasts were almost spilling out on top, her skin pale and creamy soft. She has brushed all her glossy curls over her right shoulder, the strands tickling the top of her bosom. Her lips were a sinly shade of red, a stark contrast to the white plastic fangs in her mouth, and her eyes surrounded by shadowy eyeliner. She was glaring at him, her hands put on her hips.

Like a tug in his chest that ordered him to get as close to her as possible he walked over to her. Her glare gained a tiny hint of suspicion the closer he came. When he encircled her in his arms and lowered his head to her vulnerable neck she tried to push him away, but to no avail.

"I'm serious Derek," she complained, but there was no heat in her voice. When he started to give her skin little kisses she actually started to giggle. "Aren't I the one who should have a fixation with your neck? I'm the vampire after all."

He grinned. "We can arrange that later." He wanted to continue in his ministration, but a catcall interrupted him.

"Save that for the bedroom," he could hear Henry call from the street. When they turned towards him they could see him, Gary and Josie coming towards them. He was carrying her on his shoulders. She was dressed in a Spiderman costume with a tutu, but has forgone the mask in favor of a tiara. Gary looked like a butler, and Henry himself just wore a Superman t-shirt. All of them startled visibly when they saw him.

Gary whistled. "That's quite some special effect you have going on there," he said, pointing at his face as they came over to their door.

"Let's say I've got practice," Derek explained.

Josie looked rather fascinated, already reaching out with her hand. "Can I touch?"

Instead of answering he leaned into her hand. With rapt attention her little hand roamed over his features, over the bulge where his eyebrows were supposed to be, down to his sideburns and to his fangs. When she tried to touch them he pulled away though.

"Better don't touch those," he warned her. "They are actually really sharp and I don't want you to get cut."

It only seemed to fascinate her more. Her eyes were huge with wonder, a grin of glee gracing her lips. Smiling, too, Henry shrugged his shoulders to gather his daughter's attention. "Don't you want to ask them something?"

Blinking in realization Josie pulled the bag of candy in her other hand away from her stepfather's shoulder and held it out to them. "Trick or treating!"

Grinning Jennifer went back inside to get the bowl of candy. "You can help yourself. Furry head here keeps scaring the kids off, and I'm afraid you will be one of the only ones we will make happy tonight," she said and tipped the sweets into the bag.

"Thank you!" Josie rejoiced, wobbling on Henry's shoulders excitedly.

Obviously encouraged by her response the three boys that Derek scared before have  came back to get the spilled candy slowly came down their walkway. They still looked slightly spooked, especially when Derek looked at them, but when Jennifer smiled at them they came closer.

In the end Jennifer got to spread her candy through the neighborhood. Derek got to scare the groups that came over, through he tried to hold back a little, otherwise risking the wrath of his wife in return. Most parents just looked incredulously at him, obviously wondering how a grown man could be so childish, but others congratulated him on his costume and laughed at the scared expressions of their children.

How they ended up having a drink at James and Caroline's house with the rest of their ragtag group of neighbors was beyond him, though.

"This cake and cookies are divine Jennifer!" she gushed, offering Louis another biscuit when he was done with the one he already had, although he was more preoccupied to sort his candy into categories than munching on the treat.

"It was actually Derek who made most of these goodies," Jennifer admitted. She has taken out her fake teeth and has drunk two large Gin Tonic and two glasses of wine already. To say she was tipsy would be an understatement.

Leaning forward she started to giggle. "He is far better in the kitchen than I am," she tried to whisper, but failed miserably. "I wanted to buy him one of those aprons that have a naked guy printed to the front, but to be honest, the real deal is far hotter than those aprons." She giggled again, leaning on his shoulder and caressing his chest.

Derek just rolled his eyes and tried to shift a little to get her hand away from his nipples. She seemed determined to find them underneath his shirt. He was strung up ever since he saw Jennifer in her costume earlier, and if she started touching his already oversensitive skin the others would quickly notice how much he enjoyed them.

He tried to take another sip of his whiskey, but his fangs got in the way again. He maneuvered the glass a little to the side to be able to tilt it enough to drink. All in all a drunken Jennifer was a cute Jennifer. And a horny Jennifer.

So horny.

"I don't doubt it," Jesse gushed, again not hiding her leering gaze when he checked him out. He was used to it by now. At first it bothered him and made him uncomfortable, but now he knew that it was just part of her character, and she would scarcely act on her words.

She was dressed as a witch, though the costume looked one size too small for her. Her hair was the worst case of rats nest he has ever seen in his life.

A thud beside the couch alarmed him to another presence, but it was only Louis who obviously fell asleep while munching on his second cookie. It was still lying crumbled on his chest. James sighed and picked his son up, carrying him upstairs to bed.

Jennifer giggled again at a joke Jesse whispered in her ear. Gary raised his eyebrow at her before looking back at him. "Your wife is drunk Derek," he told him. As if he didn't know.

"Really? I haven't noticed," he retorted dryly before catching Jennifer when she was about to fall over.

Henry started giggling now, too. Josie was sleeping through it all in his lap. Gary glared and pinched him, but it only served to make him laugh harder, which caused Jennifer to roll around on the couch holding her stomach while she tried to regain her breath. She wasn't doing a really good job, though. She always started laughing again.

"I think you've had enough to drink for tonight," Derek said, taking her latest glass of wine and chugging it himself.

"You meany," she pouted, but then a sly grin stole itself onto her face. She straightened herself before she leaned into him, pressing her chest into his arms and started to caress his thigh. "Do you want to punish me now?" she purred into his ear.

Her nails were scratching their way first to the inside of his thigh and the further up to the seam. Trying to suppress an anticipatory shudder he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

Henry wolf whistled again. "I said it once and I will say it again, you should probably save that for the bedroom."

"You're right," Jennifer said and shot up from the couch. She swayed for a moment but quickly regained her balance. She snatched up his hand and pulled him upright and towards the door.

Derek could hear the others laughing at them, but he didn't care. He could only think about that hand on his thigh and the echo of her warmth against his arm and chest.

When they were back inside she immediately pressed him into the wall in the entry way. She clutched his shirt but didn't kiss him yet. "Shift back," she whispered against his lips. Her scent and her breath were making him dizzy and his mind grow hazy.

Without waiting a single second he shifted back into human form. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her to him and claimed her lips.

She tasted of the bitter and sharp tang of alcohol, the sweet taste of grapes and of pumpkin cookies. Letting his hands roam over her back he took a good hand full of her firm ass and pressed her against his pelvis where he was growing steadily harder, while the other caressed the warm skin of her shoulder.

She purred against him, her nails scratching his scalp and pulling him closer to her neck. At first he only nosed at her creamy neck, taking in her scent and feeling the rush of blood pulsating through her veins, but when she whined his name and pulled at his hair almost desperately he relented and bit down with his blunt teeth.

Her knees gave out underneath her, but he caught her effortlessly and just pulled her even closer against his body. She was pliant and almost boneless in his arms before she suddenly gasped and tensed in his arms.

It was as if someone poured cold water over him, and he quickly pulled back from her neck, afraid that he has hurt her.

But instead of pain he only saw unadultered bliss on her face. She was biting her lower lip and a satisfied glint sparkled in her eyes, together with surprise.

"Did you just come?" he asked her flabbergasted. She blinked up at him in astonishment before she nodded.

So, so horny.

His libido that took a pause a moment ago when she tensed came back with full force. Grabbing the cord that held her bodice together at her back he cut it with one of his claws before almost _ripping_ it off of her. The skirt of her dress fell to the ground with all the rest, and to his surprise and delight she was not only going out braless but also pantieless.

Pulling her to the ground he started sucking on her nipple. He nibbled and bit and licked at the hardened nub, pinching and rubbing the other one before changing sides. He could have spend hours just tasting her, but again she pulled him closer in desperation, and he bit down hard on her peak, guessing from the moment before that she was unexplainably keen of him doing that.

As soon as his teeth closed around her peak she was tensing and quivering in his arms again, and he purred when he smelled how her hormones raced through her veins, the smell notching up his own arousal. God, how he loved her scent mixed with an orgasm, especially now that he made her come without touching her folds. She had to be dripping

In record time he pulled his shirt off of him and chugged his pants. Her thighs were cradling his hips like they were made sorely for him. With a growl he pushed inside her without ado. She was so wet he was meeting no resistance, the glide smooth and heavenly. The ache in his cock was almost painful to bear.

Jennifer was mewling, withering underneath him while he thrust, her nails scratching at his back and shoulders and chest. When she tugged him deeper by clawing them into his ass cheeks and her walls cramped around him he knew she came a third time.

With a final roar he buried himself inside her to the hilt, his mind growing white and his entire body warming up in the throes of pleasure, the wave filling him from head to toe.

Panting heavily he collapsed on top of her. She was soft and lax underneath him, her arms unmoving at her sides. He frowned in confusion. She always cradles him to her after sex. She said she reveled in the closeness and intimacy. She was never unmoving.

When he raised his head to look at her face he realized that she has lost consciousness.

He tried not to feel too smug.


	15. Fucking Normal

Jennifer was so fucking normal.

Sometimes he watched her, how she was reading in bed before they went to sleep, or how she ranted on and on about some little shits at school when she came home from work, how she tried to throw a crumbled piece of paper at him when he distracts her from grading essays at the dining room table.

Nothing she did or said indicated that something was different in their relationship, that there was something that made them different than other couples. Sometimes even _he_ forgot that they were different, which had to mean something when he was a _born werewolf_.

And he fucking loved it.

He loved it to wake up with her in the morning when she had to go to work, how he went downstairs in his faded t-shirt and boxers to make breakfast while she was getting ready in the shower. He loved how he kissed her goodbye when she had to go and he would take off on a run in the woods right afterwards. He loved to greet people on his way because he knew them and they knew him, because he lived here, because he was at _home_ here. He loved to wash and fold their clothes, how he had to sort out her underwear from his, and the domesticity of it. He did start improving things around the house and the garden like she proposed. Doing something with his hands and his body helped him settle and relax (and he hoped the birds were happy about the aviary he put on the terrace).

He loved spending time with her in any way he got, even if it was cooking while she told him of her day and he told her about his. He loved taking in meals with her and see her face morph into delight when she enjoyed his cooking. He loved just sitting on the couch and watching stupid TV and both of them ranting on how people could actually watch such stupid shows. He loved cradling her to his body when they slept, after sex or just simply to _sleep_ , how it felt to know that she was by his side and wouldn't leave him, wouldn't betray him. He fell asleep every night with her scent in his nose, her calm heartbeat in his ear and sharing her warmth.

It was all too damn domestic that, at times, his heart would feel too full for his chest. Sometimes he thought he didn't deserve it, but then she made him forget again that he was the cause of his first girlfriend's death, that his next one killed his family, that he slit his own uncle's throat, or that his last remaining sister probably hated him, now more so than ever before.

When he was with Jennifer he forgot all of those things, and what was left was a normal man, living a normal life with his normal wife in a normal house. No supernatural, no blood, no gore, not death or threats on a daily basis.

Just Derek Hale with the woman he loved.

He was just about to start lunch when the doorbell rang.

In front of their door stood a worried Gary, holding the hand of a confused looking Josie. She was still carrying her backpack from preschool.

"I'm sorry when it's a bad moment," Gary started to say, cringing a little. He seemed to gauge Derek's reaction to his imposition.

"Don't worry. I wanted to make lunch, but I haven't started yet," Derek reassured him.

The tension in Gary's shoulders eased a little, and he let out a sigh of relief. "I wouldn't trouble you, but I would like to ask you a favor." He reached down and covered Josie's ears with his hands. "You see, Henry had an accident. Nothing overly serious, but he had to go to the hospital, and they don't know when they are going to release him, only that it will be today," he whispered. "I want to go to the hospital, but I would rather like if Josie doesn't see him injured in some hospital bed. Would you take her and watch over her? I would pick her up in the evening."

Immediately Derek nodded. "Of course." He knew what it felt like seeing a loved person injured in the hospital.  He still remembered seeing Peter for the first time after the fire. It was such a shocking thing to see him so vulnerable and motionless, the skin melted from his face and parts of his body. Though Henry surely wasn't as seriously wounded he understood when Gary wanted to spare his daughter the image.

Letting out another sigh of relief Gary released his daughter's ears. She looked even more confused now then she did before. Gary kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his.

"All right sweetheart," he began. "You remember when I said that Henry got sick?" Josie nodded dutifully. "Good. In the time it takes for me to get Henry to the doctor and back home to get healthy again I want you to stay here with Derek. He will watch over you."

She turned around and looked Derek up and down critically, as if she was assessing his ability to babysit her. Derek did his best not to squirm under her gaze and to look confident. He wouldn't let himself get intimidated by a preschooler.

She turned back to her father. "Why can't I come with you?" she pouted.

"It's like the flu," Gary tried to explain. "Remember when I had the flu once and you and Henry got sick, too? I don't want you to get sick before Henry gets his medicine."

Josie continued to pout, but still nodded and stepped back until she stood beside Derek in the door. Gary leaned forward to give her a goodbye kiss. "Be good," he told her before standing up again. He held out his hand to Derek. "Thank you. I will make it up to you."

Derek shook his hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help out."

Gary nodded and smiled gratefully before walking towards his car. He waved one last time before driving away, and when they couldn't see his car anymore Derek ushered his little ward into the house and closed the door.

Josie was silent as he helped her out of her shoes and her jacket, carrying her backpack into the dining room with the open kitchen.

"Would you like to help me with lunch?"

xXx

The first thing Jennifer heard when she was coming home was the sound of shrieking laughter. She definitely knew that it wasn't Derek's, and when she rounded the corner to the dining room she saw who it belonged to.

The kitchen was a mess. Everything was covered in flour and sauce. Josie was standing on a chair and cut a flat, rolled out dough into stripes. Derek stood behind her, first guiding her hand before leaving her be and instead stirring something inside a pot on the stove.

She had no doubt that Derek has already noticed her coming home a mile before she was even in the driveway, but Josie hasn't, and when she looked up and saw her standing in the doorway for the first time her grin grew even wider and she raised her sticky hands into the air. "We're making noodles!" she exclaimed excitedly before continuing with her work.

"I can see that," Jennifer said when he came closer. As she looked over the little girl's shoulder she saw that the noodles weren't only stripes, but also little hearts and stars and something that distantly resembled a tree.

Derek came up from behind her and pressed a kiss to the back of her head before circling her and grabbing the pile of noodles ready for cooking. "Just keep up with the good work and we will be ready to eat in no time," Derek instructed. Josie just nodded, her tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration.

"Gary dropped her off," Derek murmured to her when he passed her again. "Henry had a minor accident and is in the hospital, and he wanted to spare her the sight. He will pick her up in the evening."

That explained why there was a child in their house. Jennifer would surely remember if there were one before. They were in for an interesting day.

"Well, in that case I will go change before we start eating."

When she came back down again the table was set and the plates filled with the unique noodles and a creamy tomato sauce.

Josie was squirming in her seat, cushions on the seat of her chair giving her the little extra height for her to reach her plate without problems. The sight made Jennifer grin.

"This smells heavenly," she said when she sat down in her chair, and the joyous grin on Josie's face was almost sparkling. There was still a little bit of flour on her cheek.

"I did that!" she exclaimed happily. "Derek helped."

Derek just shrugged and gave her that little victory. It was cute how he acted around the little girl. He looked more fulfilled than before. Normally he was a little restless. Jennifer suspected it was because he didn't really know how to spend his days. She always told him to get himself a job, if just to kill his time, but now that she saw him with Josie she could imagine him with a completely different child, and a warm and excited feeling filled her chest. But when they started eating she had to file that particular image back for later.

The meal, just like the cooking, was a complete mess for the little girl. In the end Josie's entire face was covered in sauce. The only reason why her clothes weren't covered in it, too, was because of the dishcloth they have tucked into the collar of her shirt to prevent that exact outcome.

Thankfully her face was quickly cleaned up, although doing the dishes erupted into a water fight. Mopping the floor afterwards was a little less fun, but with the help of three people the task was over quickly.

"And now?" Josie asked, almost hobbling with contained excitement and anticipation.

"Do you want to play outside, in the garden?" Derek proposed. "We don't have any toys, but we could play some games."

Nodding eagerly Josie almost ran into the hallway to get her jacket and shoes.

The trees were already completely leafless this late in the year, and Derek has gathered all of them in three big piles in the farthest corner of the backyard near the forest for them to rot.

Josie gasped when she saw them, and with a gleeful shriek she ran up ahead and threw herself right into one of them, almost completely disappearing inside one. When she turned up again she threw a handful into the air and watched, transfixed, how they fell down on top of her.

At first Derek was chagrinned about the mess she was making, but when he saw the delighted smile on her face he just sighed and walked up to her to join her.

What he didn't expect, though, was the hand full of leaves that Jennifer has stuck into the collar of his shirt.

While he was busy squirming and wiggling to free himself of the soggy leaves Jennifer has joined Josie in her pile and the two were battling it out with cries of disgust interrupted by laughter.

Growling and letting his animal senses leak through just a fraction he sneaked behind his unknowing wife. Josie, of cause, saw him, but before she could shout her warnings he has already grabbed Jennifer and, with a predatory grin, dropped her into the last remaining pile.

While Jennifer was still sputtering and flailing he turned to Josie. The girl's eyes widened comically before she darted across the lawn to evade his wrath.

They darted around the backyard, chasing each other, playing and ruffling through the near forest until it was growing dark. When they went back inside Josie's cheeks were flushed with activity and excitement. Her movements were a little sluggish and exhausted, but otherwise she was still too high on the fun she had outside.

Her craving for activity, though, was satisfied for the moment, and so, while Derek prepared some sandwiches for dinner, Jennifer lit the fireplace and started reading Josie a book.

It was one of the trash novels Jennifer has bought during their road trip. Back then Derek has already enjoyed listening to her voice while she read them to him before they went to bed sometimes. So when Jennifer sat in the living room with their little ward and mimicking voices for her he smiled and fondly put some extra chili sauce on his wife's sandwich.

It was seven in the evening when Gary came to pick his daughter up. Right after dinner Josie has quickly fallen asleep on the couch, wedged between Derek and Jennifer and cuddling with a cushion.

When Derek opened the door he quickly put his finger to his lips when Gary opened his mouth to say something. He beckoned the man in and pointed to the couch. Gary's face immediately softened and gave Derek a cheeky grin.

He gathered his daughter into his arm and gave Jennifer a thankful smile. The girl snuggled into his shoulder and let out a little sigh but didn't wake up. With his free hand he slung the backpack over his shoulder and, with a last wave and a soundless 'Thank you', towards them Gary left their home.

The house was quiet except for the cracking of the fire. Settling back on the couch Derek wrapped his arm around Jennifer's shoulder, who in return rested her head on his shoulder. Silently they watched the flames.

"Today was fun," Jennifer eventually said. Derek just hummed in reply. Silence. "You are good with kids. A natural."

"Kids are easy, uncomplicated," Derek said, letting his temple rest on her hair. She still smelled of wet leaves.

"You'll be a wonderful father," she sighed blissfully.

Derek's first reaction was to tense. "What did you just say?" he whispered, his brain still trying to comprehend what Jennifer was telling him.

At first Jennifer said nothing. Then she snorted and erupted into peals of laughter. When Derek noticed that she has led him on he rolled his eyes and shoved her away. "Very funny," he muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.

When Jennifer calmed down again she bobbed him in the side. "Hey, are you pouting?" When Derek just turned his head away she chuckled and began straddling his lap.

"Hey," she cooed gently, cupping his cheeks to make him face her. "Would it have been so bad? If it wasn't just a joke?"

Derek sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Of course not. You just surprised me."

"Then why did you tense?"

He licked his lips. "Because I don't think we're ready yet."

Derek has tensed again while he awaited her answer. But Jennifer smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "I know, she murmured against his lips, and he relaxed again.

He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her and sought her lips out again. "We're not ready now, but eventually we will be," he whispered.

Jennifer smiled. "Yes, we will," she responded and kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the chapter. Please tell me what you think and maybe even your developing head-canon. I'm delighted by everything you tell me, positive or negative criticism :3 And if you found any mistakes: English is not my first language, but I do my best


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